Par Energy Services Inc. has been ordered to pay $100,000 after pleading guilty to a workplace safety offence in Alberta related to a serious injury at a drilling operation near Rocky Mountain House.
The guilty plea was entered on July 20 in the Red Deer Court of Justice under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Code. The company admitted it failed to ensure the health and safety of a worker.
The charge arose from an incident that occurred on Feb. 8, 2023, involving Par Energy Services and Savanna Drilling Corp. at a worksite near Rocky Mountain House. According to Alberta occupational health and safety officials, a worker was seriously injured after coming into contact with moving gears inside a power tong while casing was being installed in a horizontal well.
Under Section 49 of Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, the court directed the $100,000 payment to Red Deer Polytechnic to support the Matthew Schwartz Memorial Endowment Fund, which provides scholarships for students who demonstrate a commitment to workplace safety.
The province said all remaining charges against Par Energy Services were withdrawn, and all charges against Savanna Drilling Corp. were also withdrawn as part of the resolution.
Both the company and the Crown have 30 days to appeal either the conviction or the penalty.
