The workers' compensation scheme is designed to provide no-fault compensation to injured workers. Under the workers' compensation scheme, however, workers lose their cause of action against their employer as well as other parties who may have been responsible for the workers' injuries suffered in the course of employment. Despite this, the Alberta Court of Appeal recently confirmed that a director can be personally liable for a workplace accident that resulted in an injury to a worker.
Facts
In Hall v. Stewart1 the defendant was a director of a company called DWS Construction Ltd. (DWS). DWS was retained as a subcontractor to complete work on the construction of a new home. Part of the scope of DWS' work was to install a temporary staircase into the basement of the home. The director of DWS was involved in the work on site. During the construction of the...
