MAN KILLED IN CNRL TAILINGS POND
September 4, 2008
Man killed in CNRL pond
Posted By By CAROL CHRISTIAN
Alberta’s shadow minister of employment wants a Canadian Natural Resources site shut down until the company can prove once and for all its Horizon site is safe.
Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald called for the closure Wednesday after a third fatality in less than 18 months at the site, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.
“In light of this latest fatality, I would strongly suggest to the government that all activities on CNRL’s site be suspended until they can prove once and for all that they have a safety program that works … that workers can go there and return to their families at the end of every shift,” said MacDonald.
Divers recovered the body of a backhoe operator killed around lunchtime from a pond on the Horizon site at about 1:40 p.m.
The 47-year-old employee of Clayton’s Construction entered the pond in a Caterpillar 235 floating excavator, reported Barrie Harrison, Alberta Occupational Health and Safety spokesman, in an interview this morning. The victim was about five metres from shore when the excavator flipped onto the operator’s side and sank to the bottom. The water’s depth at this point is three metres.
Though the site is not yet fully operational, it had just initiated a pilot phase for the pond last Friday.
When RCMP arrived on scene, Canadian Natural emergency crews were already present. The police force secured the scene for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), which is now leading the investigation.
Questions such as if the man was working alone and what caused the excavator tip “all have yet to be answered,” said Harrison.
In a company statement, CNRL stated it was co-operating with authorities and extended its “deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased.”
This is the third fatality at the Horizon site. Two workers were killed April 24, 2007, after a roof collapsed in a large oil tank where they were working. Alberta OH&S continues its review of the case with no word yet on any charges. The agency has two years from the date of any workplace accident to investigate and respond with action if warranted.
MacDonald would like to see legislative changes in this province take workplace safety committees from voluntary to mandatory. As it stands, Alberta does not mandate these committees for workplaces — they’re strictly voluntary.
“There’s not a legal requirement in Alberta to establish an occupational health and safety committee, said MacDonald convinced such legislation is needed for worksites that regularly employs at least 20 people.
In this province, a committee is only required if the minister of employment issues an order under section 31 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau was unreachable for comment this morning as he was travelling to Ottawa, according to his office.
However, Harrison pointed out there’s “no plans at this time to make any legislative changes.”
In the spring of 2006, OH&S surveyed employer and worker attitudes towards mandatory joint work site safety committees which rendered mixed opinions. Labour groups favoured them, employer groups not so much.
“We believe making a committee mandatory could undermine the potential benefits that such committees could have if adopted voluntarily,” said Harrison recognizing the commitment needed for the voluntary adoption. “When you’re forced into something it can change the attitude.
“We think health and safety performance is impacted by a host of factors beyond health and safety committees. Having, for example, an experienced, stable workforce is known to be one of the most important variables impacting injury rates.”
He recalled that when the two fatalities occurred at Horizon, the contractor, Sinopec Shanghai, already had a joint worksite health and safety committee in place at the direction of CNRL.
The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), the union heavily involved at the Horizon site, has health and safety committee at every one of their projects.
“It’s required by the collective agreements,” said CLAC regional director Frank Kooger this morning.
