Roof was torn off, two workers sustained serious injuries
Petronas Energy Canada has been fined $161,312 by WorkSafeBC.
Workers at this firm's natural gas compressor station in Pink Mountain, B.C. were pressure washing and vacuuming hydrocarbon-based waste fluids from a large storage tank when an explosion occurred within the tank. The tank's roof was torn off and two of the workers were thrown from the tank's opening. The two workers sustained serious injuries.
WorkSafeBC investigated the incident and identified deficiencies related to de-energization, confined spaces, hazard assessment, and overall health and safety management. The firm failed to ensure energy sources were isolated and controlled to prevent injury, and failed to conduct a hazard assessment for work activity inside a confined space.
As prime contractor, the firm failed to coordinate health and safety activities, a repeated violation based on a similar violation at another of the firm's locations, and failed to ensure the health and safety of all workers at its work site.
In addition, the firm failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety and the health and safety of other workers at the worksite, also a repeated violation based on a similar violation at another of the firm's locations. These were all high-risk violations.
Source: WorkSafeBC
