Worker fell through hopper, carried through a conveyor system into chip bin
A worker at Nanaimo Forest Products / Harmac Pacific Division pulp and paper mill was standing on a chip pile in the reclaim area when a hole formed in the reclaim pit. The worker fell through the hole into a reclaim hopper and was carried through a conveyor system into a chip bin. The worker sustained fatal injuries.
WorkSafeBC's investigation determined that the firm had not conducted a risk assessment or developed safe work procedures for the reclaim pits. The edges of the reclaim pits were not guarded and were not marked to indicate a potential hazard, and workers were regularly required to stand at the edges of the pits as part of their work practices.
In addition, the conveyors operated automatically with no method of alerting workers, and the hopper had no means of escape when the worker fell in and was covered by wood chips. The firm's failure to ensure machinery and equipment were effectively safeguarded to protect workers was a high-risk violation. The firm also failed to provide adequate written safe work procedures to prevent injuries to its workers. Further, the firm failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, and training necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated violation.
The charge was imposed on Nov. 24, 2017.
Source: WorkSafeBC
