Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
December 17, 2018 - 6:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - A fatal workplace accident that killed one worker and seriously injured another at a Kamloops pulp mill last summer was the result of a jib that fell off a crane and struck two Domtar Inc. employees.
Worksafe B.C. says in their incident investigation report that a combination of factors caused the fatal accident including unclear cautionary instructions from a manual the employees were following, and errors caused by the workers.
Jim MacLeod, 57, was identified by Unifor as the Domtar crane operator who was killed in the June 29, 2017 accident at Domtar.
According to the investigation report, two workers were in the process of stowing a jib with a crane while following instructions from an operator’s manual.
“Once the jib was in position against the boom, the workers noticed the jib was not in alignment,” the report says. “The pinning connections were not in place and the jib was not connected to the boom.”
The jib fell as the workers continued to realign it and hit the two workers.
WorkSafe B.C. says there were three main contributing factors to the accident.
The first being the mechanical stop was not in position. The report says the jib lock pin was fully retracted when it should have been fully extended to ensure there was at least one connection while mounting and stowing the jib.
Another contributing factor to the accident was the workers did not identify the dangerous condition that developed when the jib was disconnected.
The third contributing factor to the accident was the manufacturer’s unclear cautionary instructions in the operator’s manual. According to the report, the manual does not fully explain the hazards associated with the jib lock pin being extracted rather than extended or the function of the mechanical stop.
WorkSafe B.C says the crane used in the incident has been removed from service until an engineer has inspected and certified the equipment for safe use again.
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