A B.C. firm is facing a fine following a horrific and fatal incident that took the life of a worker.
The incident was revealed by WorkSafeBC in one of its penalty summaries, and the firm in question is West Fraser Mills Ltd. in Quesnel, B.C.
According to the WorkSafeBC summary, the incident stemmed from a fire that ignited in one of the mill’s silos.
“Water used to extinguish the fire had caused wood fibre inside the silo to freeze,” WorkSafeBC says.
“While a subcontractor’s worker was pressure washing the fibre inside the silo, a large volume of fibre dislodged from an overhang above the work area.”
The fibre happened to block access to the silo hatch and engulfed the B.C. worker, which led to fatal injuries.
“The firm failed to ensure that it assigned overall responsibility for administration of the confined space entry program and supervision of confined space entry to an adequately trained person,” notes WorkSafeBC.
WorkSafeBC explains that there were several safety mishaps that could’ve prevented the incident, including the fact that there were no written confined space procedures and the fact that there was no pre-entry testing or inspection before the worker entered the confined space.
“In addition, the firm failed to ensure that every person assigned rescue duties was properly equipped and adequately trained, that a lifeline was attached to the worker’s safety harness and tended to at all times by a standby person, and that if a worker enters a confined space that contains a risk of engulfment or entrapment, the standby person is equipped and capable of immediately effecting rescue using suitable lifting equipment.”
The firm also failed to conduct annual drills for this type of emergency.
“Further, as prime contractor of a multiple-employer workplace, the firm failed to establish and maintain a system of regulatory compliance and to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety and that of other workers at the workplace.”
All the violations were considered high-risk, and the firm was fined $110,855, which was imposed last month.