American Iron & Metal pleads guilty to 2022 death at Saint John, N.B., scrapyard

A Saint John, N.B., scrapyard has pleaded guilty for its role in the connection of the death of 60-year-old Darrel Richards on its port property in June 2022.

American Iron & Metal plead guilty to one of the four charges it was facing under the Occupational Health and Safety Act during a pre-trial conference in Saint John on Friday for failing to take every reasonable precaution to ensure Richards’ health and safety.

The remaining three charges, which include failure to train Richards on the risks associated with the work and a lack of supervision from trained supervisors, are set to be dropped during sentencing. A trial for the matter was initially set to take place in March.

Richards was a married father of three when he died in hospital on July 1, 2022, a day after being severely injured at AIM’s waterfront scrapyard when he was cutting into a calendar roll with a saw. As he was cutting, the role decompressed, causing a deep laceration in his groin area, leading a large loss of blood.

Fifteen-to-20 family members and friends came to the pre-trial conference. Some elected to read impact statements about Richards, saying he was the light of any room he was in.

The fatal workplace charge normally comes with a maximum fine of $250,000, six months in jail, or both. Crown prosecutor Wes McIntosh and AIM’s lawyer Jessica Bungay have jointly recommended an “alternative sentencing” which would see the creation of a $107,000 bursary in Richards’ name at the New Brunswick Community College with a focus on workplace safety as part of a 30-day probation order.

Michael Cormier, AIM vice president for the Atlantic region, attended the hearing, but declined to comment on the matter.

The scrap metal company also pleaded guilty to an unrelated Occupational Health and Safety Act charge in court Friday related to a truck that burned on Dec. 3, 2021, in Maces Bay, N.B. There were no injuries reported in that incident.

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