Report from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’
A worker, employed by NOVA Chemicals Corporation of Calgary, Alberta, a petrochemical manufacturer that operates facilities across Canada, sustained serious injuries after hot liquid was discharged from an exhaust stack during maintenance work. The company failed to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect workers from hazards associated with intermittent blowdown operations, contrary to section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
At its Corunna petrochemical facility, NOVA Chemicals contracts with Kel-Gor Limited for maintenance work.
The facility contains a number of boilers or heaters used in chemical manufacturing. To maintain this equipment, workers must remove water from the heaters to minimize scale corrosion, concentrations of impurities and other issues with the water. One way of accomplishing this cleaning is an intermittent blow down (IBD), in which valves are manually opened to release boiler feed water from a heater storage drum into an IBD drum.
On the day of the incident, two Kel-Gor workers were on a scaffold adjacent to an IBD drum exhaust stack while a heater was undergoing cleaning. Hot boiler feed water was discharged from the top of the IBD stack and caused serious injuries to a worker.
A Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development investigation found that the scaffold and IBD stack were not equipped with shields or barriers to protect workers from hot liquid discharges.
The investigation also found that the workers on the scaffold had not been provided with information or procedures for safely conducting work near the IBD drum exhaust hood during intermittent blowdowns.
Following a guilty plea in Sarnia Provincial Offences Court, NOVA Chemicals Corporation was fined $130,000 by Justice of the Peace Louise Bessegato; Crown Counsel was Judy Chan.
The court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
My opinion
The law(s) in contravention:
NOVA Chemicals was found guilty of a contravention of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), section 25, subsection 2(a) which states,
“An employer shall,
- provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker.”
There were a few questions that needed to be asked and answered, such as;
- Was a JHA completed before the maintenance was to begin?
- Where was the supervisor here?
- Was the supervisor “Competent” to watch over the work?
- Were the Kel-Gor employees aware of the hazards?
All good questions, and again, no answers.
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Due Diligence’ and ‘Safe Work Procedures’.
Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
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‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
CEO & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.