Workplace deaths sombre reminder
The number of Albertans who died on the job or due to a workplace-related disease tumbled by more than one-quarter last year during the depths of the recession.
But that’s not the important number to remember today. The important number is two. That’s the number of people who went to work in Alberta this week and didn’t come home.
Both deaths happened a few hours before Thursday arrived, bringing with it the annual Day of Mourning to remember all workers killed and injured on the job.
Just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, a contract worker at Nova Chemicals’ expansion project near Blackfalds was on a stationary crane at the large industrial construction project.
The 59-year-old man was helping take apart the 200-foot crane when a piece of machinery hit him.
“It sounds like part of the crane was swinging and struck him as it was swinging,” says Lauren Welsh, with the Alberta Ministry of Labour, which is investigating the case.
The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to hospital but died.
The incident took place at Nova Chemicals’ PE1 expansion project, where an estimated 700 people are working.
“It has been a rough day,” said Rick Van Hemmen of Nova Chemicals.
Less than four hours later, a worker at Williams’ petrochemical facility at Redwater was doing maintenance work on a 300-foot stack.
The plant’s operator, Pembina Pipeline Corp., confirms the man was a subcontractor working on site.
Wearing a breathing mask with supplied oxygen, the 25-year-old worker “became overcome with nitrogen and was removed from where he was working” and died at the scene, said RCMP Sgt. Chris Cooper.
“At this point, it appears (the breathing apparatus) was dislodged,” said Cooper, commander of the RCMP’s Redwater detachment.
No other details have been released.
Don’t for a minute think workplace deaths are rare events.
So far this year, Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) investigators are probing 14 fatalities.
Despite the province’s economic downturn, 125 people perished due to work last year.
That’s down from 169 the previous year — and a stunning 188 in 2013 during the height of the boom.
“Obviously there’s been a slowdown in business activity over those two years,” said Ken Kobly, CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. “Hopefully, the job sites have become safer.”
According to provincial figures, 66 people died last year due to occupational diseases such as exposure to asbestos over a prolonged period.
Among those who perished were plumbers, electricians, mechanics, firefighters, welders, pipe fitters and maintenance workers.
Another 23 employees were killed in motor vehicle accidents while on the job.
A further 36 died in horrific workplace incidents, and the province’s brief summary of how each was killed is chilling.
In the construction industry, for example, two workers fell off roofs seven months apart last year.
In November, an employee was crushed between a truck and an air compressor. Another worker was buried under a load of sand from a dump truck in April; hay bales crushed another in October.
In December, two convenience store workers — Ricky Cenabre, who had come to Canada from the Philippines just four years ago, and Karanpal Singh Bhangu, a father who had just moved to Edmonton — were shot in an armed robbery in Edmonton.
And then, Wednesday arrived with the latest deaths on two industrial sites.
“Every time a worker is killed on the job is tragic,” declared Alexander Shevalier, president of the Calgary & District Labour Council, which held a wreathlaying ceremony at City Hall on Thursday.
“We will continue to press (the NDP government) until things improve.”
But what specifically can be done?
A report from the Parkland Institute says Alberta needs to improve its efforts to be more transparent on workplace injuries, fatalities and enforcement efforts.
The study by Athabasca University labour relations professors Jason Foster and Bob Barnetson calls on the province to regularly update all Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) investigations.
They want the government to identify the “causal chain of the incident to demonstrate the incidents are not ‘accidents.’ “
They also want to see regular updates on safety prosecutions, quarterly reports outlining inspection data, and for the government to publish an annual list of “worst-performing” employers according to OHS benchmarks.
“The sparse data the government gets out gives Albertans a false sense of security. It’s distant, it’s rare, and it happens to other people, but it doesn’t happen to people like me. We don’t know why it happens, it just happens,” said Foster. “This affects everybody. This affects every workplace.”
Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray pledged the province would examine the recommendations. She noted the government is trying to identify issues within specific workplaces, such as convenience stores and gas stations.
It’s also eyeing a comprehensive review of workplace safety laws, including OHS, employment standards and the labour relations code, although she hasn’t set a timetable for such work.
“These pieces have not been comprehensively reviewed in decades,” Gray said.
“It’s important we do look at each piece of legislation on a regular basis and measure how we’re doing against other jurisdictions across Canada, to continue to have a modern workplace and safety for all.”
Safety for all is a good place to start. But let’s not forget the two men who didn’t return home from work Wednesday.