A Whitehorse construction and mining company that failed to properly license two of its employees was slapped with a $15,000 fine Tuesday.

The head of the territory's safety board, meanwhile, is warning other businesses to take heed.

"They didn't do their due diligence," Valerie Royle, the president of the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board, said today of the guilty party, Golden Hill Ventures.

Golden Hill pleaded guilty yesterday on two counts: one of failing to properly train and license the driver of a passenger bus, and one of failing to properly train and license the driver of a rock truck equipped with air brakes.

The infractions came to light after a collision between the passenger bus and a transport truck on the Alaska Highway near Sheep Mountain in southwest Yukon.

The driver of the bus pulled onto the highway without stopping and was hit by the truck. The truck driver had time to slam on the brakes, avoiding a major crash.

None of the bus' five occupants were injured, nor was the truck driver, but the incident was investigated by both the board and the RCMP.

As a result of the investigation, Royle said, board inspectors found two employees who were driving heavy equipment without the required licences; the bus driver and the driver of the rock truck.

Royle said other companies should take note of this case and ensure they are following the rules.

"We've tried the soft, helpful approach," Royle said, "and we'll continue to be helpful, but we're going to start coming down on companies that don't adhere to safety standards."

Royle said the last time the board laid similar charges was in 2002.

She agreed that companies generally do not get caught for licensing infractions unless there is a workplace injury or some other incident that warrants an investigation, but said there will be a "full complement" of four safety inspectors out this summer.

"There will be less tolerance of violation," Royle said.

In this case, Golden Hill Ventures was fined $10,000 for the unlicensed passenger bus driver, and $5,000 for the other charge. The fines were agreed upon by both the defence and prosecution.

"They deserve credit where credit is due," Royle said of Golden Hill. "Pleading guilty was the responsible thing to do here."

A company called Worldwide Minerals was also charged with the two offences, but the charges were dropped because that company was not involved in the Sheep Mountain incident.