Two Firms Penalized Following Deadly Explosion at Alberta Oil Site

Two Canadian companies have been fined a combined CA$550,000 (approximately £297,000) after a fatal explosion occurred at an oil and gas facility near Edmonton, Alberta, in November 2022. Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd. and Peace Pipefitting Inc. were found to have breached Alberta’s occupational health and safety regulations in connection with the incident, which took place at a wellsite operated by Tamarack.

The explosion happened at a location near Slave Lake, around 250 kilometers north of Edmonton, where Tamarack maintains daily production levels of roughly 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent. Following the incident, Tamarack stated it would fully cooperate with authorities and launch an internal investigation into the cause.

According to findings from Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Agency, welders Greg Podulsky, 29, and Darcy Schwindt, 47, were working atop a tank storage unit when the explosion occurred, resulting in their deaths.

Both Tamarack and Peace Pipefitting entered guilty pleas to charges under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. The financial penalties issued will support workplace safety education programs and a nonprofit organization assisting families affected by workplace fatalities.

Additionally, Peace Pipefitting will undergo heightened regulatory oversight for a period of up to two years.

A third company, Voltegic Energy Services Ltd., also faces charges related to the explosion. Sentencing for Voltegic remains pending.

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