26 charges have been laid after a worker was trapped and fatally burned at an Edmonton smokehouse

Warning: This story contains disturbing details.

More than a year after a man was trapped and burned to death in an Edmonton smokehouse, 26 workplace safety charges have been filed in connection with his death.

The meat producing company Sofina Foods Inc. charged under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act in connection with the death of 33-year-old Samir Subedi.

Subedi was injured on March 2, 2023, at the Sofina Foods plant at 9620 56th Ave. in south Edmonton. He died later that day after being treated at the University of Alberta Hospital’s burn unit.

Charges filed on November 14 against Sofina Foods, his employer, reveal disturbing new details surrounding his death.

The allegations state that Subedi, who was the plant manager, left his workstation to check the temperature in the smokehouse.

He was trapped in the smokehouse. He was later found by another employee on site.

According to the allegations, Subedi suffered fatal injuries after being exposed to the intense heat of the smokehouse.

The allegations allege that the smokehouse door could not be opened from the inside, resulting in Subedi being trapped inside.

The allegations include failing to ensure employee health and safety, failing to properly maintain equipment and failing to provide Subedi with adequate training to work in the enclosed space of the smokehouse.

The allegations accuse the company of failing to ensure that the smokehouse doors could be opened without significant effort, were in good condition and could be opened reliably from the inside.

Investigators accuse the company of failing to conduct mandatory risk assessments and failing to ensure that the smokehouse equipment was tested, adjusted and properly maintained.

According to the allegations, there was a lack of training to work indoors, the lighting on site was poor and no communication system was established for workers in case they became trapped in the smokehouse.

CBC News is awaiting comment from Sofina Foods, an international producer of meat products based in Markham, Ontario.

In the weeks after Subedi’s death, his family repeatedly called for greater transparency in workplace safety investigations and for answers about what went wrong.

Subedi was born in Nepal and worked in India before coming to Canada five years before his death. He completed a Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Alberta and then began working at Sofina Foods.

His family described him as a family man and a caring friend. He left behind a pregnant wife and a small child.

The case is reminiscent of the recent death of a young worker in Nova Scotia.

Last month, a 19-year-old woman was found in an industrial baking oven at the Walmart store where she worked on Halifax’s west end. Halifax occupational safety officers and police continue to investigate.