Metal shredder operator died after being exposed to smoke
The CNESST has revealed the conclusions of its investigation into the death of metal shredder operator Mourad Abali.
Abali, who was working for the Compagnie américaine de fer et métaux inc. in Montreal, died in a fire that started in one of the company’s warehouses.
The Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) is Quebec’s health and safety regulatory board.
On June 3., 2021, Abali had started his regular workday around 6 in the morning as metal shredder operator in one of the company’s warehouse buildings.
A while later, fragments of hot or smouldering metal flew out of the shredder, setting flammable and combustible materials stocked inside the warehouse on fire.
Smoke appeared and intensified. Gleam from the flames were visible through the windows of the warehouse’s garage door.
Emergency services were called to the scene, and the worker was evacuated from the warehouse and taken to the hospital where he died.
Forensic analysis of the scene found that the cabin that Abali was working in was much warmer than the temperature outside the cabin, and that a large amount of the smoke had managed to get into the cabin, leaving little chance for Abali to survive the accident while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The CNESST found two causes for the accident:
Firstly, that the hot or smouldering metal projected by the shredder started the fire when it came into contact with the combustible and flammable materials stocked in the warehouse.
Secondly, the management of said combustible and flammable materials was deficient. The risks related to stocking acetylene cylinders and other combustible materials in an environment where hot metal projectiles were a hazard had not be identified and analyzed.
Following the accident, the CNESST barred access to the warehouse pending the results of the investigation. Once the investigation was over, access was once again granted. The CNESST also forbade the shredder from being used until an engineer could attest that the machine was compliant with safety guidelines.
