Worker was pinned under a bus during maintenance work
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health is investigating a workplace incident that left one Maple Bus Lines worker dead.
The incident happened on Friday when the worker was doing maintenance on a bus, though it was only revealed this week. The investigation was made public Tuesday afternoon. The worker was pinned underneath the bus during the incident and later succumbed to their injuries, according to a report by the Winnipeg Free Press.
Workplace Safety and Health did not provide further details.
Maple operates passenger service to and from Thompson and Winnipeg, as well as charter and tours.
Other workers have also previously been hurt or lost their lives after getting pinned under vehicles in separate incidents.
One worker was killed after being trapped under a rail car in Pickering in Durham, Ont. The worker was part of a team that was conducting construction and maintenance work on behalf of Go-Transit operator Metrolinx at the 117-year-old Rouge Hill bridge.
When doing vehicle maintenance work, good work practices are essential, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
CCOHS also shared the following tips which employers can also share with their workers:
- Never attempt repairs or maintenance for tasks for which you do not have the appropriate training.
- Always keep a neat and tidy work area.
- Good lighting and adequate ventilation are important.
- Refer to and follow the instructions on the safety date sheet (SDS) for any products you will be using.
But getting pinned under a vehicle is not an incident limited to when workers are doing maintenance work. Previously, Newfoundland and Labrador employer Paradise Paving Ltd. pleaded guilty to three charges under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act relating to the death of one of its workers. The worker was part of a crew tasked with paving two residential driveways on a street. He drove the asphalt spreader. As the worker was backing down a driveway, he fell from the spreader. When his colleagues saw him, he was trapped under the spreader.
Also, Alberta employer Grove RV and Leisure Inc. was fined $185,000 for the fatal injury one its workers sustained in the workplace. The incident took place on March 11, 2019, when the worker was towing a tri-axle 5th wheel RV unit with a John Deere tractor. Another worker found the first worker pinned between the RV and tractor in a jack-knife position in Spruce Grove, AB.
