TSB deems incident as a class 5 occurrence
On June 19, a man was fishing lobster out of North Lake when an unexpected dropping of the hydraulic boom caused an accident that killed the man in Prince Edward Islands (P.E.I), says the Workers Compensation Board.
WCB's occupational health and safety division is investigating the accident. The victim was reportedly assisting another worker on the boat with tangled trap lines, according to the email WCB sent to CBC News. While the victim was leaning over the boat's port side, the hydraulic boom he was working on unexpectedly descended and struck him.
"The hydraulic boom involved was positioned at the stern of the boat," the email said. "To prevent further incidents, the boom was taken out of service and removed until a safer work process can be implemented."
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) deemed this incident as a Class 5 occurrence, which are not subject to full investigations followed by an investigation report. The TSB says Class 5 occurences are unlikely to reveal new safety lessons that will advance transportation safety.
RCMP Cpl. Gavin Moore said on Wednesday that police received a report about a man injured on a fishing boat, according to a report from the Canadian Press (CP). The report mentioned the man died before the vessel made it to shore.
Moore could not say when the vessel arrived, nor could he provide additional information about the man and how he was injured. According to the CBC report, the RCMP, the coroner's office, and the occupational health and safety division of the Workers Compensation Board are working together on the investigation, unlike the federal Transportation Safety Board.
Governments in Canada have spent decades pushing safety messaging and developing new regulations since commercial fishing is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. However, it may take time before a significant reduction in the number of deaths and injuries is seen, according to a previous report.
