Worker was injured during crane operations on oil rig
Newfoundland and Labrador employer Transocean Canada Drilling Services is facing two charges in relation to a workplace incident.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) on Friday laid the charges in relation to a workplace injury aboard the Transocean Barents oil rig in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area (Offshore Area) three years ago.
The incident happened on Sept. 6, 2019, when workers were preparing the rig for severe weather. During crane operations, an employee was caught between a rail and a 1,400-kilogram steel adapter.
The worker got hurt, and an emergency response team provided care on site before a helicopter flew the worker to a hospital in St. John's, reported CBC.
After being treated the worker was released. However, the worker was later readmitted to hospital for their injuries, according to the report.
Transocean suspended drilling operations after the incident, and resumed about a month later, when the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said it was satisfied Suncor had taken corrective measures and had met the conditions necessary to restart, according to the report.
Transocean is a Swiss company under contract to Suncor.
The C-NLOPB continued to investigate the incident after drilling resumed. It found that the company had “failed to ensure a crane was operated in accordance with the OHS Transitional Regulations” and “allowed an employee whilst being a signaller to perform duties other than signalling while a crane was in motion, contrary to the OHS Transitional Regulations”.
“These contraventions constitute offences pursuant to paragraph 205.104(1)(a) of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act,” according to C-NLOPB.
Transocean is scheduled to make its first court appearance in relation to the incident on Oct. 12, 2022, at Provincial Court in St. John’s.
Previously, Vancouver-based employer CRM of Canada Processing ULC was fined $125,000 in an Ontario court after one of its workers was killed in a workplace incident.
Also, JBS Foods Ontario Inc. was 75,000 after one of its workers was seriously injured in the workplace. The incident happened on Dec. 30, 2020, when three workers were operating a sausage mixer at JBS Foods’ Belleville plant. To prepare it for cleaning, they were transferring its contents into two-wheel bins located at the outfeed of the mixer. One worker turned on the two-hand control without realizing that another worker was reaching inside the discharge hole, seriously injuring them.
Lastly, Sandhill Construction – Dwight Reimer Sole Proprietor, a Manitoba employer, was fined $18,500 after one of its workers suffered an injury. The incident happened on July 16, 2018, when an employee was helping install rafters on a two-storey garage in the RM of Alexander.
