Manitoba Growth, Enterprise and Trade is reminding employers to ensure workplaces are safe after an employer was prosecuted for violations of the Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulations.

The Department reports on May 24, 2016, a contracted worker for Flin Flon-based Superior General Partner Inc. was performing maintenance on a propane pump truck in a maintenance garage.  The vehicle had been parked in the garage since the previous evening, during which time residual propane from the dispensing system of the pump truck unknowingly seeped into the garage.  When the worker lit an oxygen/acetylene cutting torch, it caused an immediate explosion and the worker suffered serious injuries.  Debris from the explosion spread over a city block, posing a threat to public safety.  This past February  Superior General Partner Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety and health of members of the public in relation to their workplace activities.  The employer was ordered to pay $70,000 in fines and penalties.