26-year-old heavy equipment technician was struck by equipment that fell from crane
Nearly two years after a tragic incident claimed the life of a contractor at Suncor's Base Mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta, charges have been filed against Suncor Energy Services Inc., Joy Global Canada Ltd., and NCSG Crane Heavy Haul Services Ltd.
On July 7, 2022, 26-year-old Brandon Nelson was working as a heavy equipment technician when he was fatally struck by a piece of equipment during maintenance duties.
Alberta OHS says the young man “was conducting shovel maintenance duties when the worker was struck by a piece of equipment that was suspended from a crane and fell.”
The three companies face a combined total of 32 charges: 13 for Joy Global, 11 for Suncor, and 8 for NCSG Crane Heavy Haul Services.
These include failing to ensure adequate training for workers handling components from a boom shovel, neglecting to set up the work site safely to prevent loads from passing over workers, and failing to guard sharp edges on hoisted loads.
"Worker safety is our unwavering priority," stated Komatsu Mining Corp., the parent company of Joy Global Canada Ltd in a statement to CBC News. "This deeply saddening accident has resulted in charges against three companies, including ours," they added, expressing regret over the incident.
Heather MacCallum, president of NCSG Crane Heavy Haul Services Ltd., expressed their commitment to worker safety, saying, "We have been deeply saddened by this tragic death."
Canadian Occupational Safety received a statement from Suncor spokesperson Sneh Seetal saying, "we continue to keep Brandon's family, friends and co-workers in our thoughts." The company says following Nelson's death it "implemented additional steps to improve our safety practices around craning and rigging."
The statement goes on to say the company updated its craning and rigging standard, "to improve planning, controlling, and executing lifts."
Recently, a Suncor-operated company was fined $390,000 in the death of a worker who drowned while operating a heavy machine at a worksite in Alberta.
In February, Suncor claimed that 2023 was its best year in terms of worker safety.
Between 2014 and the end of 2022, 13 employees or contractors died at Suncor sites.
The charges underscore the vital importance of maintaining stringent workplace safety measures. As legal proceedings continue, the focus remains on ensuring accountability and implementing measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
