Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine
A worker was fatally injured when he was hit by a container at the loading dock of a foundry in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
At about 6:30 pm on November 24, 2009, a Maritime Steel and Foundries Ltd. employee was on the hydraulic loading dock when an unidentified container was being loaded from a truck, says Kevin Finch, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Workplace Development in Halifax. The container hit the worker, who died on the scene.
The company report in a statement that the incident occurred “while a truck belonging to an independent contractor was operating on site.”
Maritime Steel and Foundries was issued three compliance orders, namely to provide investigators with maintenance records for the dock, and install lighting in the dock area, the provincial labour department reports.
My opinion
In Ontario, regulation 851/90, section 45 covers most of the issues that were involved. Section 45 states,
“Material, articles or things,
(a) required to be lifted, carried or moved, shall be lifted, carried or moved in such a way and with such precautions and safeguards, including protective clothing, guards or other precautions as will ensure that the lifting, carrying or moving of the material, articles or things does not endanger the safety of any worker;
(b) shall be transported, placed or stored so that the material, articles or things,
(i) will not tip, collapse or fall, and
(ii) can be removed or withdrawn without endangering the safety of any worker; and
(c) to be removed from a storage area, pile or rack, shall be removed in a manner that will not endanger the safety of any worker.”
It is important to note that all aspects of the business MUST have a set of safe work instructions and those instructions need to be discussed before any work is to be done.
Due Diligence!
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Ontario, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs including ‘Due Diligence’ and ‘Standard Operating Procedures’. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.