For its negligence in a workplace incident that resulted in a debilitating spinal injury for one of its workers, a Manitoba-based construction company has been ordered to pay a steep fine.

On July 16, 2018, a worker with Sandhill Construction was helping install rafters on a two-storey garage in the city of Alexander. Official reports said that the worker was working on the top platform of a moveable steel scaffold on the second floor, when five of the rafters – which were not yet secured to the top girder – began to fall. One of the rafters hit the scaffold where the worker was standing, causing the individual to fall about 10 feet into a plywood surface and suffer a spinal fracture.

The provincial Workplace Safety and Health department investigated the case and laid charges against Sandhill Construction and Dwight Reimer, who is the sole proprietor of the company.

The Journal of Commerce reported that on July 19, 2022, Reimer pleaded guilty to failing to provide information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure the safety, health and welfare of a worker. A Manitoba court has levied an $18,500 fine on the construction company.