Refinery denies negligence in explosion

REGINA — Consumers’ Cooperative Refineries Ltd. (CCRL) denies it was negligent in maintaining the safety of a corroded pipe that allegedly caused an explosion and fire at a Regina refinery in 2011.

The denial is in response to a statement of claim filed on July 31 by Skyway Canada Limited, a scaffolding company that employed workers injured in the explosion under the name Skyhigh Canada. The company alleges that CCRL failed to maintain, inspect and replace the defective pipe and didn’t use an inspection plan that had a sufficient number of pipe thickness monitoring locations.

Given the pipe’s proximity to “significant amounts of incendiary liquids and numerous ignition sources,” Skyway claims it was foreseeable that the breached pipe could have produced the explosion and fire.

The company is seeking $2.95 million in damages to property and loss of business, pre-judgment interest on that amount, the costs of the legal action and any other relief deemed fit by the court.

A statement of claim contains allegations not yet proven in court.

In a statement of defence filed on Tuesday, CCRL denies that it was negligent, careless or that it failed to adhere to its own policies or inspection plans.

Also named in the lawsuit is Sasktech Inspection. The company filed a statement of defence on Dec. 10, in which it denies “any negligence, breach of contract, breach of duty or breach of any statutory or common-law obligations to (Skyway).”

On Oct. 11, 2011, at 2:05 p.m., a corroded pipe burst and caused an explosion and fire that injured 52 workers.

Eight hundred pounds of hydrogen and 36 litres of diesel fuel ignited and damaged an 11,700-square-foot area of the refinery that was under renovation and expansion.

Five of the workers and their families have launched a lawsuit against their employer Skyway/Skyhigh Canada, the refinery, Federated Co-operatives Limited, Worleyparsons and Colt Worleyparsons. The plaintiffs are seeking $3 million in damages, prejudgment interest, pecuniary and unspecified damages, costs and any other remedies deemed fit by the court.