An employee of a hay-processing facility near the village of Cremona, Alta. was killed in an industrial accident on the morning of Aug. 16.

The incident happened at about 7:30 a.m. that day, at a plant belonging to Dalziel Enterprises Ltd., according to Trent Bancarz, a spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Labour (MOL). The worker, a 63-year-old man, became caught in hydraulic equipment while on the job at the plant.

“We don’t know exactly what type of equipment it was, but it involved hydraulics,” said Bancarz.

He added that other workers at the facility had found the victim in a semi-conscious state following the accident. “The ambulance came, and he actually died right on the scene.”

Dalziel declined to comment to COHSN on the incident.

RCMP officers and investigators from the MOL’s occupational health and safety division attended the scene of the incident.

Police are referring to the fatality as a “farming incident,” according to Corporal Laurel Scott, a spokesperson for the Alberta RCMP. It appeared that accident had involved “a piece of farming equipment,” said Cpl. Scott, who confirmed that the worker had been dead at the time of the police’s arrival.

The incident did not appear to involve anything criminal in nature, so the RCMP transferred the investigation over to the MOL, she added.

“Our officers were on the scene,” said Bancarz, “and our investigation continues.”

A family-owned operation, Dalziel specializes in processing and exporting Canadian timothy hay and various mixed hays, according to information from its website.

Cremona is located less than 80 kilometres north-northwest of Calgary.