Why the charges are another safety setback for Suncor Energy Inc
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety laid five charges against Syncrude Canada Ltd. in the death of an oilsands workers.
The incident happened in Fort McKay, which is north of Fort McMurray on June 6, 2021.
The charges are listed on a provincial website, and it says the worker “was operating an excavator to build a berm when the bank slumped into the fresh water. The cab of the excavator was fully submerged.” The worker drowned.
Syncrude is accused of failing to ensure the health and safety of a worker, allowing the worker to operate an excavator on a ramp with an over steepened slope, and failing to restrict access to a ramp leading to a water body.
The company also allegedly failed to follow safety rules and recommendations outlined by Energy Safety Canada regarding working around bodies of water and ice.
Syncrude is a majority-owned unit of Suncor Energy Inc. and this is the latest setback for a company under investor pressure to improve its safety record.
Bloomberg News reports the death was among a string of fatalities in recent years at Suncor-owned oilsands sites, which became the focus of activist Elliot Investment Management LP’s campaign to shake up the company’s management.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on a case that is before the courts, however I do want to acknowledge that we continue to keep the individual’s family, friends, and coworkers in our thoughts,” Suncor spokeswoman Erin Rees said by email to Bloomberg News.
Paul Singer founded Elliot and in a letter introducing the campaign he said Suncor has been “plagued by repeated operational challenges and safety issues.” Alberta OHS recently launched a regulatory probe of the company and found 32 safety violations between November and January.
Suncor is also facing 19 charges in the death of Patrick Poitras, a 25-year-old oilsands worker who drowned after falling through ice while operating a bulldozer on a frozen tailings pond.
