‘No violations’ found in 2024 Walmart oven death, N.S. workplace investigation finds

Nova Scotia says it has concluded an “extensive” workplace safety investigation into the death of a Halifax Walmart worker who died in a bakery oven 16 months ago and found no safety violations.

The 19-year-old woman, who was identified by her family and the local Sikh community as Gursimran Kaur, died in October 2024 at the incident at the Mumford Road store.

The Maritime Sikh Society told Global News at the time it was Kaur’s mother, who also worked at the store, who found her body in the walk-in oven.

“The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration’s safety branch conducted an extensive investigation into workplace conditions and the bakery oven involved in the incident,” the province said in a Friday release.

“Investigators determined the oven was in proper working order at the time of the incident, and no safety violations were identified that could have contributed to the worker’s death. The Department also found no broader safety concerns associated with the type of oven.”

A month after Kaur’s death, Halifax Regional Police said her death was not suspicious and there was “no evidence of foul play.”

In a statement, Labour Minister Nolan Young said Friday that the province’s thoughts remain with the worker’s family, friends and co-workers.

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“Our responsibility is to understand what happened, determine whether safety requirements were met and use those findings to support future prevention efforts,” he added.