GRAND FALLS, N.B. - Walmart and one of its supervisors have been charged in New Brunswick over the electrocution of a 17-year-old employee at a store in Grand Falls early this year.
Patrick Desjardins was using a floor buffer on a wet floor in a garage at the store on Jan. 5 when he received a fatal shock.
WorkSafeNB, a provincial Crown corporation that oversees the Occupational Health and Safety Act, alleges the company failed to comply with key provisions of the legislation.
In a statement Tuesday, it said the company did not take all reasonable precautions to protect its employees.
It also said Desjardins was using an inappropriate floor polisher and a faulty extension cord when he died.
WorkSafeNB said the polisher hadn't been inspected and was in poor working condition, and it alleges the supervisor didn't meet the standards required of someone in that position.
The agency said it issued several orders against Walmart as a result of the death and the company has complied with those orders.
Walmart, in a statement reacting to the charges, said "first and foremost, our deepest thoughts remain with Patrick Desjardins and his family."
The company said it has co-operated fully with the investigation and "is taking every opportunity to understand and investigate this incident so that similar incidents can be prevented in the future."
"The health and safety of our (employees) is -- and always will be -- a top priority for Walmart Canada. We direct significant time, energy and resources to the development of health and safety policies and training to support accident prevention."
