The city has appealed the fine
The City of Fort St. John in B.C. has been fined $327,505.30 by WorkSafeBC.
WorkSafeBC inspected North Peace Leisure Pool – a public swimming pool – operated by the city, in late 2019.
This was in response to an incident wherein a worker was potentially exposed to chlorine vapours.
Following the inspection, WorkSafeBC found a number of deficiencies which were related to the facility’s workplace procedures for assessing and responding to exposure hazards.
WorkSafeBC says that “the employer failed to develop and implement an adequate exposure control plan for chlorine, and failed to have an appropriate written emergency response plan in place. The employer also failed to ensure that respirator fit tests were conducted annually, that appropriate emergency washing facilities were available where workers may be exposed to harmful materials, and that lockout devices were secured appropriately.”
WorkSafeBC states that these were all repeated violations. Furthermore, it also says that “the employer failed to ensure fall protection was used when workers were required to go onto the roof of the pool to inspect an air handling unit.” This is deemed a high-risk violation by WorkSafeBC.
Fort St. John has appealed the fine.
Source: WorkSafeBC
