This case serves as an example of what degree of conduct will or will not constitute obstruction of an officer in a workplace investigation.
The accused was charged under the Safety Act (NWT) with 2 counts of obstructing a safety officer arising from 2 meetings between the accused and the safety officer tasked with investigating a workplace accident. At trial, the accused and the officer had differing versions of what had occurred in the meetings. Ultimately, the Court found the accused to be an evasive witness and preferred the evidence of the officer.
The section of the Safety Act in question required the Crown to prove that the accused had (a) obstructed or hindered (b) a safety officer (c) engaged in carrying out his duties. The Court held that this required an obstruction or hindrance of the investigation itself – not just the safety officer; that the accused's actions had to be deliberate, with knowledge that the officer was engaged in carrying out his duties; and that the accused intended to prevent the progress of the investigation.
In the end, the Court found the accused not guilty of the court relating to the first meeting. In that meeting, the accused had been loud and aggressive and "vented" but he had responded to the investigator's questions. While he had refused to provide a written statement and drawing, his conduct did not impede or delay the progress of the investigation. However, the Court found the accused guilty of the count relating to the second meeting. In that meeting, the accused confronted the investigator, grabbed him by the arms, pushed him out the door, and slammed the door behind him, all before the officer had asked any questions. The accused knew the investor was there to ask him questions about the incident and the Court found that the accused's conduct in that meeting did halt the progress of the investigation.
R. v. Prodromidis, 2015 NWTTC 18
For more information, visit our Occupational Health & Safety Law blog at www.occupationalhealthandsafetylaw.com
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