A natural gas firm based in Alberta with a worksite and refinery in B.C. was hit with a fine of $182,282 after a hot oil incident.
Tidewater Midstream, which has a light oil refinery in Prince George, B.C., that produces low-sulphur diesel and gasoline, was the subject of a WorkSafeBC penalty.
According to WorkSafeBC, investigators attended the firm’s workplace after an incident.
WorkSafeBC says that during a procedure to clear a blockage in a heavy fuel oil line, there was an “uncontrolled flow of oil” which led to a worker’s clothing being sprayed by hot oil.
The investigation determined that the firm’s safe work procedures for the method that was used to clear the blockage weren’t followed.
“No hazard assessment had been completed, no hot work permit had been issued, no standby person with emergency equipment had been in place, and workers had not worn the required personal protective equipment,” WorkSafeBC says.
The provincial workplace safety agency says that Tidewater failed to ensure hazards were effectively controlled before allowing work to be done on machinery shut down for maintenance.
It classified the violation as “high-risk.”
Tidewater acquired the Prince George refinery from Husky in 2019.
“The refinery subsequently posted 6 and 7-year high throughput volumes in 2020 and 2021,” Tidewater says.
A couple of firms closer to Vancouver were also hit with WorkSafeBC violations.
Sea to Sky Powerwashing, which had a worksite in West Vancouver, was fined over $5,000 after a worker fell 28 feet from a sloped roof to the ground. A WorkSafeBC investigation found that no fall protection had been in place.
In Port Moody, a landscaping and tree service firm was hit with a $2,500 fine after the firm failed to plan tree falling in a way that identified risks and how the falls would be controlled.
“In addition, before falling trees close to energized high-voltage conductors, the firm failed to have the worksite inspected by a qualified person or owner of the power system, and failed to ensure falling work did not begin until an assurance in writing was issued by the power system owner.”