Worker dies after build-up of ice fell on him
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) has been sued for safety violations after one worker died from an incident at the Jackfish power plant in Yellowknife.
In March 2020, worker Michael Paul Chinna was injured after a build-up of ice above a door at the power plant fell on him. He died nine days after the incident. He was 39.
Now, the territory's Workers Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) has filed 11 safety charges against the employer, “including failure to safely maintain the facility, failure to ensure the health and safety of all persons at the facility and failure to correct unsafe conditions at the plant as well as other offences,” according to the commission.
The charges, which were filed Feb. 8, have not been proven in court, according to a report from NNSL Media. The charges, laid under the Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, will be heard in territorial court. The first appearance is scheduled for March 29.
Chinna was wearing all of the required personal equipment, including a hard hat and safety goggles when the ice fell, according to the CBC report, citing Doug Prendergast, communications manager for the power corporation.
"Michael was an excellent employee who always showed a strong commitment to safety," Prendergast said.
Several other employers were also fined for workers’ deaths.
Previously, two companies and two supervisors were fined two years after a worker fell to his death from a bridge under construction.
The City of Humboldt in Saskatchewan was also fined as a worker was fatally injured after a trench wall collapsed.
Grove RV and Leisure Inc. was fined as a worker died after being pinned between an RV and a tractor in a jack-knife position.
Recently, there have also been numerous workers who lost their lives in the line of work.
One driver died after the vehicle he was driving figured in a three tractor-trailer collision in South Glengarry in in eastern Ontario. One firefighter died when the fire truck the worker riding lost control and rolled over.
Another worker died after being struck by lightning and another was found dead on a mine property near Val Gagne, northeast of Timmins, Ont.
