Supervisors – When Ignoring Safety Gets Criminal

Zachary Fernandez1Life News

In a major legal wake-up call, an Ontario court sentenced a construction supervisor to five years in prison for criminal negligence after a worker died on the job. The incident involved a fatal crash caused by a bald tire—an issue the worker had reported the night before. The boss shrugged it off. The court didn’t.

This case, R v Urgiles, is now one of the harshest workplace safety rulings in Canadian history. The message? If you’re supervising work, your legal responsibilities are no joke.

What Happened? Milton Urgiles supervised a small rural trucking operation with his partner. One of their new hires, Denis Garant, drove a dump truck. The night before the crash, Garant told Urgiles the steering was off. Urgiles did nothing and told him to make a delivery the next morning.

On that drive, a worn-out front tire blew. The truck veered into a tree and landed in a ditch. Garant died instantly. Experts later confirmed the tire was shot and the truck unsafe.

What the Court Said. Urgiles was convicted of criminal negligence causing death under the Criminal Code—specifically, Sections 219 and 217.1. Here’s the key: they didn’t need to prove he meant harm. They just had to show his actions were a “marked and substantial departure” from what a reasonable supervisor would do.

The judge looked at five big questions:

  1. Was Urgiles in charge? 
  2. Did he take basic precautions? 
  3. Did he show reckless disregard? 
  4. Was it criminally negligent? 
  5. Did his actions lead to the death?

Ignoring a direct complaint about a steering issue, plus sending someone out in a truck with a clearly bald tire, sealed the verdict

What This Means if you’re a Supervisor: This wasn’t just a regulatory slap on the wrist—it was prison time. If you’re a supervisor, here’s the takeaway:

  • You’re legally required to take reasonable steps to keep workers safe.
  • That includes acting on complaints and obvious hazards—even without a complaint.
  • There should be a clear system for reporting and fixing safety issues.
  • You need to be “competent”—that means having the knowledge and experience, as well as knowing the job, the hazards, and the law.

The Bottom Line. R v Urgiles is a loud-and-clear reminder: if you ignore safety, you may end up not just in court—but behind bars. So don’t cut corners. Don’t delay action. And definitely don’t ignore your crew when they speak up.

If you’re a supervisor, your workers and your employer are counting on you.  You’re responsible.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent a Similar Ocurrence in your Business:

1. Share this Safety Alert with all Supervisors, foremen and any other person that directs the work of others. Discuss questions or concerns that they may have. 

2. Leadership sets the standard; senior management must continuously communicate and demonstrate sincere commitment to safety.

3.Ensure that Supervisors are formally trained in their responsibilities.  Training should include responsibilities of all the workplace parties, how to identify and control hazards, perform safety inspections and deal with employee safety concerns or work refusals.  They need to be trained in leadership and communication skills as well as the specifics of workplace safety and health laws, specific to your jurisdiction and that apply to the work that they supervise.

4. Ensure that Supervisors are supported and held accountable to enforce safe work.

5. Make Safety Management Simpler and Easier for your Supervisors: Contact us for a 14 Day FREE TRIAL of the award winning 1Life Safety App.

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Zachary Fernandez