Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine
A company In Newfoundland these charges on June 18, 2019 over an incident that saw the partial amputation of a worker’s foot.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Occupational Health & Safety Division of Service NL following an incident on October 2017 at the wharf construction site at the Harbor in St. John’s. RJG Construction limited of St. John’s has been charged with nine safety violations.
The charges relate to the following alleged failures: provide and maintain a safe workplace; offered necessary information, construction, training and supervision; ensure workers and particularly supervisors are made familiar with the hazards; make sure that safe work procedures are followed; ensure that work procedures promote the safe interaction of workers and their environment; the use of a mobile crane met the requirements of CSA Z150; the OH&S program included written safe-work procedures appropriate to the hazards and work activity; implement its OH&S program; and ensure that material was placed in a secure manner that did not constitute a hazard to a worker.
In a separate incident, two companies and an individual have been charged over a fatal incident on June 19, 2019. Two employee sustained fatal injuries near “Come by Chance” when the transmission line that they were erecting between Bay d’Espoir and Western Avalon fell to the ground.
The employer, Forbes Brothers Ltd., has been charged with seven violations, while a supervisor was charged with one count over the alleged failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers under his supervision. The principal contractor, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, was charged with one count that alleges its failure to ensure that an employer and workers comply with OH&S regulations.
My opinion
The report did not exactly state the actual incident but one has to believe that the mobile crane was used incorrectly or and defective, pursuant to the CSA standards Z150. If the crane was over 16,000 lbs or 8 tons then the operator MUST be a “Hoisting Engineer”. (At least in Ontario) It would be interesting to find out the capacity.
The second accident involved power lines. Were the lines energized or was it the weight of the lines that killed the two employees. The report here did not specify but the hazards were to be identified, assessed and controlled before any work was to be done.
I will certainly keep an eye on these two accident/incidents and follow up later.
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Electrical Safety Awareness’ as well as ‘Construction Lifting and Rigging’. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Ontario, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.
Your article helped me a lot.
Your article helped me a lot!