Ferry employee accidentally eats cannabis on the job, says company

Northumberland Ferries Limited says it’s investigating an incident where an employee accidentally ate an edible cannabis product while on duty.

NFL vice-president of operations Don Cormier said the company also filed a report to the federal Labour Program.

The incident happened in August when an employee ate something that resembled a treat, Cormier said. The employee was later sent for medical treatment.

“Our company takes all workplace incidents seriously,” Cormier said. “Our concern is with our employees’ health and ensuring that we have a healthy and safe workplace.”

Cormier said the incident did not happen on board a ferry and the edible didn’t come from the kitchens or concessions operated by the company. He also said the cannabis edible was not in a place accessible to the public.

“From a public safety perspective, we don’t think this incident resulted in any public safety concerns,” he said.

‘A little shocking’

The company is having discussions with its safety committees, Cormier said. NFL’s employee policy states that cannabis is not allowed on the property and that employees are not allowed to work while impaired.

However, Cormier said it was not an employee that brought the cannabis edible into the workplace.

Cormier said that while the worker who ate the cannabis edible is shaken up, the incident did not cause any physical injury.

“We need to be careful collectively about products that we consume because of edible kinds of cannabis products that are going to be coming onto the market right now,” Cormier said.

“In today’s society, I guess it’s a little shocking to even think about that but it is something to be considered in the future.”