Two workers were beneath a drilling rig near Beaverlodge, about 40 kilometres west of Grande Prairie, in July 2024. Each was assigned a different job.
One of them activated a machinery control. The other was caught in a support chain and seriously injured.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety has laid eight charges against Twilight Drilling Ltd. over that incident. None of the allegations has been proven, and the company has not entered a plea.
What the charges allege
The province lists the charges as relating to worker training, hazard assessment and control, equipment operation, and safeguards around moving parts of the rig's BOP handling system.
As reported the charge sheet breaks down this way.
The first two fall under Section 3(1) of the Alberta OHS Act, covering an employer's general obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers in the vicinity. Another cites Section 3(2), alleging a failure to ensure workers were adequately trained to work safely.
The rest cite the Occupational Health and Safety Code. Section 9(1) alleges a failure to identify existing or potential hazards and apply the hierarchy of controls to reduce risk to workers from moving parts. Section 64(1) alleges a failure to secure a lifting device and to ensure the BOP handling system was operated by a competent worker authorized by the employer. Section 310(2) alleges a failure to provide safeguards preventing a worker from coming into contact with moving parts of the BOP system. Section 3.3 alleges a failure to ensure the worker made the area safe and determined no one else would be negatively affected before initiating a process.
None of this has been tested in court.
What a BOP handling system is
A blowout preventer, or BOP, is a set of valves and associated equipment used to control pressure during drilling. It exists to stop fluids escaping the well uncontrolled.
The handling system is what moves it, which involves lifting equipment and heavy components. Two of the charges concern that directly: securing a lifting device, and providing safeguards around moving parts.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Two years from injury to charges
The incident happened in July 2024. OHS submitted the charges in June this year, after completing its investigation.
Twilight Drilling Ltd. is a privately owned drilling contractor based in Nisku, south of Edmonton. The worksite has not been publicly identified beyond being near Beaverlodge.
Twilight Drilling's safety record
Alberta government records confirm the company holds a Certificate of Recognition from Energy Safety Canada, and that it underwent an external audit of its safety program and practices in 2025.
A Certificate of Recognition, or COR, is awarded to employers that meet requirements for a health and safety management system, including an external audit.
WCB employer records show the company managed a number of disabling injury claims between 2020 and 2023. Those figures come without industry comparison.
A request for comment to the company went unanswered before publication of the initial report. Twilight Drilling's website describes a commitment to safety training, mentorship and development aimed at avoiding incidents involving people, equipment or the environment.
What Alberta OHS law gives workers
Three rights. The right to know about hazards in the workplace. The right to participate in health and safety decisions. The right to refuse work you believe is dangerous.
Refusing unsafe work is a formal process rather than a walkout. You report the concern to your employer, the employer investigates, and you cannot be disciplined for a refusal made in good faith. If it isn't resolved, OHS can be brought in.
Unsafe work can be reported to Alberta OHS, and reports can be made anonymously. Employers are required to report serious injuries and fatalities immediately.
How to check an Alberta company's OHS record
Alberta publishes OHS enforcement records that can be searched by company name.
Charges pending lists what has been laid but not resolved. Convictions lists what was proven. Prosecution outcomes lists what was withdrawn, stayed, appealed or dismissed. Fatality investigation summaries describe what happened in workplace deaths without naming the worker.
Court dates on the pending list are subject to change, and the province advises checking with local courts directly.
What happens next
The charge stays on the province's pending list until the case concludes. A conviction moves to the OHS convictions page with a fine or creative sentence attached. Anything withdrawn, stayed, appealed or dismissed moves to prosecution outcomes.
The charges remain before the courts and have not been proven.
Sources
Charges under OHS Legislation — Government of Alberta
Convictions under OHS Legislation — Government of Alberta
Prosecution outcomes — Government of Alberta
Fatality investigation summaries — Government of Alberta
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety Code
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