Workers were installing safety chains above tank that holds flammable chemicals
WorkSafeBC has fined two employers a total of $48,000 in relation to an explosion that injured two workers.
The incident happened on June 24 at the 6400 block of Rolla Road, when Key Energy was welding at a facility operated by Secure Energy Services that accepts oilfield waste, according to a CBC report.
The companies were doing maintenance on a building that held a shale shaker, which separates solids from drilling fluid. The shaker's tank often holds flammable chemicals.
On the day of the incident, two workers were installing safety chains above the tank, and a Key Energy worker took a monitor off a pump and reached into the tank with their arm.
Another worker at the site saw flames coming from the shaker before an explosion blew the lid off the shaker, according to the CBC report.
WorkSafeBC found that both companies failed to take the proper precautions before allowing welding above a tank containing flammable chemicals. Specifically, they did not ensure workers wore personal monitors to detect flammable gas or vapours in the air before the explosion.
WorkSafe fined Key Energy about $6,000 and Secure Energy Services about $42,000.
The government agency also required both companies to offer workers proper training and revise risk assessment and safety practices.
Since the incident, both companies have complied with orders to create proper safety procedures for hot work and maintenance near the shaker, reported CBC.
