Investigation Report Worker Fatally Injured when Struck by Loader February 03, 2014

Transcription

1 Investigation Report Worker Fatally Injured when Struck by Loader February 03, 2014 Report No. F-OHS October 2016 Page 1 of 6

2 The contents of this report This document reports an investigation of a fatal accident in February It begins with a short summary of what happened. The rest of the report covers this same information in greater detail. Incident summary A worker was conducting sawmill clean-up and start-up preparations when he walked out of the building into an outdoor yard carrying a load of lumber over his shoulder. At the same time, a front-end loader was operating, in reverse, alongside the building. The worker was struck by the front-end loader which caused fatal head injuries to the worker. Background information Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd. (Vanderwell) had operated in the Slave Lake area, at the Mitsue Lake Industrial Park, for over 30 years and was a privately held company. Vanderwell was a lumber manufacturing sawmill with approximately 250 employees. The clean-up labourer (labourer) had worked in the forestry industry and with Vanderwell for approximately 22 years. The labourer had left Vanderwell for a short period and returned to work for Vanderwell in The front-end loader operator (operator) had worked in the forestry industry and with Vanderwell for approximately 25 years. The operator was a competent lumber loader operator with approximately 20 years experience including 14 years collecting strip racks. Equipment and materials The operator was using a Caterpillar 966C front end loader (loader) which was used throughout the mill including the task of transferring strip racks from the saw mill (Figure 1). The loader was equipped with a serviceable backup alarm. Page 2 of 6

3 Figure 1. The image shows the sawmill worksite - the west side wall (A), the loader (B), the strip rack (C), and the ramp (D). Strip rack A strip rack was an open metal framed pallet where lumber strips were stored for re-use on the sawmill site. A strip rack can be seen at the front of the loader in Figure 1. Strip A strip was a 2 centimetre (cm) by 9 cm length of lumber between approximately 1.8 metres (m) and 2.1 m long (Figure 2). The strips were used for creating an air space in drying bundles of lumber. Page 3 of 6

4 Figure 2. Stack of strips adjacent to the saw mill lumber stacker. Sequence of events On February 3, 2014, a labourer was performing regular duties related to the pre-startup of the sawmill. The pre-start up duties included collecting strips from below the saw mill lumber stacker, which was an automatic board placing device. The strips were collected and stacked beside the saw mill lumber stacker that was located inside the saw mill (Figure 2). The labourer manually opened the second floor sliding bay door to alert the operator, who was working in the yard, that empty strip racks were available for removal from the saw mill. The strips were stacked for removal and placed in strip racks located outside on the west side of the saw mill. The labourer was using a man door, located directly west of the saw mill lumber stacker and leading into the yard, to put the strips into the strip rack. The labourer had completed two or more previous trips, carrying approximately ten to twelve strips on top of his left shoulder at a combined height, per load, of approximately 0.25 m. While returning to the saw mill for a third load of strips, the labourer was observed to be entering the saw mill by the loader operator. The loader operator was travelling to the open bay door to retrieve the empty strip racks from the saw mill. The operator manoeuvered the front end loader Page 4 of 6

5 forward and alongside the west wall of the sawmill and up a 15.5 m long and 7 m wide concrete ramp (Figure 1) that is located directly under the second floor sliding bay door. Upon collecting the empty strip rack, the operator reversed and backed down the ramp. Simultaneously, the labourer was exiting the saw mill with his third stack of strips and was struck and run over by the loader. The labourer suffered fatal head injuries as a result. Completion A formal review was conducted by on December 10, 2014, and it was determined that the file would be referred to Alberta Justice for review. The entire file was sent to Alberta Justice on March 05, Charges were laid on September 18, 2015, and Vanderwell pled guilty to section 2(1)(a)(i) of the Code. At sentencing, Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd. was fined $25 000, inclusive of a victim fine surcharge, and ordered to pay $ under section 41(1) to Northern Lakes College to develop a powered mobile equipment safety training program. Page 5 of 6

6 Signatures Original Report Signed October 26, 2016 Lead Investigator Date Original Report Signed October 27, 2016 Manager Date Original Report Signed November 7, 2016 Director Date Page 6 of 6