In a remarkable accident last week, a Montreal driver crashed his car through a temporary fence and plunged 12 metres into an excavation pit at a construction site, and managed to survive the impact. The accident happened at around 11 p.m. the night of July 14, near the intersection of Bleury Street and Rene Levesque Boulevard downtown.

After the accident, firefighters spent an hour trying to rescue the man, using the Jaws of Life to cut off the vehicle roof, then pulling him up on a stretcher to street level and into a waiting ambulance. Witnesses at the scene remarked that it was amazing that the driver survived, given that the construction site featured concrete slabs at the bottom, with dozens of large metal rods sticking straight up.

Investigators are looking into the accident. It appears that the driver was travelling south on Bleury when he lost control of his car and veered off into the construction site. In addition to speaking to the driver, which they will do when he’s healthy enough, they are looking at surveillance tapes, examining the car and, of course, they’re awaiting for the results of blood alcohol tests.

Quebec’s workplace health and safety board closed the worksite overnight, but it was re-opened at 7 a.m., subject to the condition that concrete barriers be placed around the site by end of the next day, not just to protect drivers, but also to protect construction workers on the site from falling in as well.

One road construction worker was killed and two others injured after a car slammed into a road work crew in St. John’s, Newfoundland on July 5. The accident is being investigated by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC).

A single vehicle was traveling eastbound behind several other vehicles in the curb lane on the Outer Ring Road between Topsail Road and Thorburn Road. When the vehicles in front of him slowed rather suddenly, the driver swerved into the median lane to avoid a rear-end collision, lost control of the vehicle and collided with the three road workers. Preliminary information indicates that speed appears not to have been a factor in the collision.

Paramedics on the scene pronounced one of the workers, who was in his 50s, dead at the scene. The other two workers sustained serious injuries and were transported to the Health Sciences Center. The RNC then closed the accident site to examine the scene more closely. They are inspecting all vehicles involved in the accident, and a number of witnesses have been interviewed. The RNC is also putting out the word that they would like anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward with information.

Since the beginning of this year, all flaggers and other traffic control persons (TCPs) in Newfoundland and Labrador are required to complete a training course delivered by trainers who are approved by the provincial Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC). The mandatory training prepares such workers to safely and competently perform traffic control duties by providing them with knowledge and skills consistent with industry and legislative standards. The certification training is valid for three years, at which time the course must be completed again, for the TCP to be recertified.

A British Columbia roofing worker for Weather Tight Supplies died last week after he fell through a skylight at the vacation home of former provincial premier Gordon Campbell.

The worker, Dave Lesko of Sechelt, was working on renovations to the vacant waterfront property in Halfmoon Bay, when the accident occurred around 1 p.m. According to neighbors, at least two fire department trucks and two ambulances arrived quickly, and an air ambulance took the injured worker to a Vancouver hospital, where he died from his injuries the next day.

WorkSafeBC is conducting an investigation, as is Weather Tight Supplies, who is required to conduct its own investigation and report the findings to WorkSafeBC. The twin investigations will focus on determining the nature of his activity, what he was doing and how and why he fell.

Security company Garda was slapped with $92,750 in penalties last week for failing to protect a female guard who was raped by an intruder at an unsecure construction site nearly five years ago.

The fine itself was small; just $5,000 plus a $750 victim fine surcharge. But Alberta provincial court Judge Marlene Graham also assessed the company an $87,000 payment, which will go to the Hazard Assessment Working Alone program at SAIT Polytechnic, a safety training program for lone workers, beginning in September 2012

At the time of the assault, the victim had only lived in Canada for three years and had only been issued her security guard licence by Garda three weeks before the assault.

This is believed to be the first prosecution in Alberta, and possibly the first in Canada, in which a company has been charged under the OHSA after an employee working alone was the victim of a crime.

The court said Garda’s primary negligence was in failing to conduct a specific site assessment. The judge said, “In my view, this was very obviously a dangerous and unsafe site. It was an outdoor site just off Macleod Trail. There was an exit door at the back that was always locked. One wonders why you’d have an exit door if it’s always locked.” She also noted that the front of the site was covered by an unsecured orange tarp flap. The victim had been provided with a chair, but no means of protection from anyone who might venture on to the site.

The judge also noted, “There was a high degree of probability an intruder might enter at night in winter, for warmth or to take construction material … who knows what else. … It was also foreseeable that a criminal act could happen. It was patently unsafe and not addressed by Garda. It showed a high degree of negligence. (The victim) was affected profoundly by the sexual and physical assault. … Garda is not to be prosecuted for the act of the intruder, but for its own negligence.”

An 83-year-old Alberta contract worker was working alone to complete a paint job in an office space for Devon Canada Corp. last week in Swan Hills, about 190 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, when he fell about three metres from a makeshift scaffold. As a result of the fall, he is in hospital in serious condition.

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety determined the man climbed onto a vertical lift and from there, he constructed a makeshift scaffold. That scaffold gave way and he ended up falling to the ground.

Thankfully, another worker from Devon Canada just happened to come in to the worksite on his day off and found the worker, who was conscious but not aware of his surroundings. The injured worker was immediately airlifted by STARS air ambulance to hospital.

Keywords: worker safety, working alone, fall safety, scaffold safety

An Edmonton mine worker who was injured while working at the Minto Mine in Yukon is suing the owner of the mine, Capstone Mining, and mine contractor and former employer Pelly Construction, for damages for his injuries.

The worker, Timothy Hansen, filed a statement of claim in Yukon Supreme Court last week. The accident that led to the suit occurred in July 2009, as he was operating a Caterpillar 330 loader, and rocks and debris fell from above, striking his head and body. The claim does not specify whether the rocks fell from the worker’s own loader bucket or elsewhere. At the time, he was taken to hospital and diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and musculoskeletal injuries.

In his suit, Hansen says he continues to suffer pain and a lack of function in his left hand and arm, as well as emotional distress. He claims that he continues to receive medical treatment for his injuries and to have a reduced quality of life, a reduced ability to earn money, and an ”impaired ability to engage in occupational, domestic, social and recreational activities.”

The suit also accuses two fellow employees of negligence leading to a lack of safety guards on the loader, a broken cab window, and a lack of other safety equipment. He claims he told one of the individuals his concerns, yet alleges nothing was done to address them.

His suit asks the court to grant him regular and special damages, as well as claiming his insured benefits on behalf of the Yukon government.

Last week, the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MoL) issued eight orders to construction company Teranorth Construction & Engineering Limited, based in Sudbury, after a worker was fatally injured in an accident that occurred on June 24.

At the time of the accident, the worker was operating an elevating work platform, or “scissor lift,” below a bridge structure that was under construction as part of a highway expansion project. For some reason, the platform “flipped over,” causing injuries that led to his death. Some witnesses suggested that the platform may have done so because it had been placed on “very uneven ground,” but investigations are ongoing.

The MoL issued a total of eight orders under the provincial Occupational Health & Safety Act to Teranorth, including:
o An order that Teranorth “ensure that the health and safety of workers on a project is protected;”
o An order that no further work was to be conducted with the two Genie lifts presently on the MacKenzie Bridge site until further notice from the MoL;
o An order that the owner of one Genie lift shall provide copies of maintenance records to the ministry;
o An order that Teranorth provide training records related to the elevating work platform that was being used at the time of the accident;
o An order that Teranorth provide training records related to the worker’s fall protection system.
o An order to ensure that the area beneath the bridge structure is undisturbed until advised by the ministry;
o An order that Teranorth take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker when working on the underside of the bridge structure while using an elevated work platform on sloped terrain, and:
o An order requiring Teranorth to provide a plan detailing how observations and sealing work will be carried out to the underside of the structure during ductal placement.

Three workers at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa are reportedly okay after inhaling chemical fumes at the facility on the morning of May 27.

According to the mint, chemical vapours were apparently released from the waste water treatment system at the refinery. A spokesman for the mint said the workers, aged 51, 58 and 35 were immediately taken to hospital to be checked out and were released hours later. Two of the men were exposed when they rescued their co-worker by pulling him away from the fumes.

A hazardous materials team determined there was no need to evacuate the entire building, and the area where the fumes were released was isolated and ventilated. An Ottawa fire department spokesman later said there was no danger to the public because the fumes were contained. Normal production continued at the mint in all non-affected areas, including public tours.

Meanwhile, the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Four British Columbia high school students have won awards in WorkSafeBC’s 6th annual student safety video contest.

This year’s contest featured the theme “Overexposed! What you may not see can kill you,” which focused on hidden hazards that can turn out to be deadly. The theme was chosen in order to educate young workers that exposure to some hazards today can have an impact later in life.

In all, the competition featured 42 submissions received from 19 schools and 145 participating students. The contest was open to all high-school students, with a teacher providing project supervision and final approval of the video. The entries were judged based on their impact, their safety message, original creative concept, and technical execution. Judges also considered how well they provided a youth perspective on workplace safety, and how well safety messages targeted young workers and their peer groups.

The first place team in each category will share $500, with their school receiving another $2,000. The second place teams each win $500, and $1,500 for the schools, and the honourable mention team receives $500.

The winners are:

Grades 8–10
First Place: Noise, by Port Moody Secondary School
Second Place: Why endanger your life?, by Ladysmith Secondary School

Grades 11–12
First Place: Open your eyes, by Penticton Secondary School
Second Place: A mouldy surprise, by Chatelech Secondary School (Sechelt)
Honourable Mention: Distraction, by Chatelech Secondary School (Sechelt)

The winning videos can be viewed here. After last year’s contest, more than 10,000 YouTube visitors saw the winning videos.

Every year, too many workers are killed on the job by machinery they think has been locked out and shut off, but which turns out to be still active. Most such hazards occur during machine repair, maintenance and cleaning.

The key to preventing these types of accidents is deceptively simple, and involves developing and following a few simple procedures. Workers should never try to maintain, clean, or repair any piece of machinery or equipment without making sure it’s properly locked and tagged, and they are absolutely sure the power is disconnected. Also, no one should work with, or even near such a machine, unless they are properly trained and authorized to do so.

In order to be sure the machinery and electrical equipment is shut down completely, experts have come up with the following general shutdown procedure that can be used on all such machinery.

o Before the machine is shut down, be sure the authorized workers know the method or means to control the energy in the machine, and that the employee authorized to perform the shutdown procedure must notify all affected employees of the intention to lockout the machine.
o Next, the authorized employee should shut down the equipment through the normal stopping procedure.
o The authorized employee should then make sure the main power switches or circuits are shut off or otherwise made inoperative.
o Be sure that locks are placed on all switches or other energy sources in the “safe” or “off” position, with warning tags placed with each lock.
o Be sure that all potentially hazardous stored or residual energy, including springs, elevated parts, rotating flywheels, hydraulic systems, electrical systems, and air, gas, steam, or water pressure, etc., have been relieved, disconnected, or otherwise made safe by repositioning, blocking, bleeding down, etc.
o Once all of the above steps have been completed, the authorized employee should attempt to operate the equipment using normal operating controls to make sure the equipment will not operate. After this test, the authorized employee should return all operating controls to the “neutral” or “off” position. The equipment is now locked out.
o Once the test has been completed, be sure to place tags on machinery to warn workers not to start or operate the equipment.

Once the maintenance or service is completed, only the same authorized employee or employees who placed the tags and installed the locks should be allowed to remove them. But before doing so, the worker should check all around the machine to make sure that all maintenance items have been removed and that the equipment components are operationally intact. Check to make sure all non-authorized workers are away from the area, and cannot enter. Verify that all controls are in neutral, then remove all locks and reenergize the machine. Once the machine is ready for use, notify the affected employees.