N.W.T. Power Corp. fined $200K in 2021 death of worker

North

Michael Chinna, 39, was struck by falling ice at Jack Fish Power Plant

Posted: June 23, 2023

The Northwest Territories Power Corp. has been fined $200,000 for the death of a worker more than two years ago.

Michael Chinna, 39, died nine days after he was struck by a buildup of ice that fell from the Jack Fish Power Plant in Yellowknife on March 5, 2021.

Chinna was working as an apprentice power systems electrician at the time. His family described him as ambitious, hardworking and full of life.

The Northwest Territories Workplace Safety and Compensation Commission announced charges in the case in February 2022. A plea agreement was finalized in N.W.T. Territorial Court Friday, with the corporation pleading guilty to one of the 11 charges it had originally faced. 

In a statement, the company again offered condolences to Chinna’s family. 

“NTPC was deeply saddened by the loss of Michael Chinna,” the statement reads. “He was an important person in our  organization and was committed to working safely. We have also learned from this incident, and we have used it to improve our safety systems and processes.”

The company also said it’s committed to protecting workers from all hazards on the job, including falling snow and ice. 

Chinna was one of 15 people to lose their lives on the job in the North in 2021, the highest number of work-related deaths the territories had seen in more than a decade.