Five Alberta workers die on the job in one week.

[moyiesledhead]

Noticed none of them are in the oil industry. Is it time for the safety practices outside the patch to catch up?

Five Alberta workers die on the job within one week | CTV Edmonton News

 

[RMK Junky]

The 5th one was oilfield related .... Condolences to all families

A 29-year-old man is dead after being crushed by a track hoe 25 kilometres south of the city (GrandePrairie) this morning, marking the fourth reported workplace incident in the area this year.


The Ensign Drilling employee was crushed between a track hoe and a flare tank after the track hoe operator activated the controls at 4:45 a.m. , according to Occupational Health and Safety.


A stop use order was issued for the track hoe, according to OHS, but no stop-work order has been issued to the employer.


“OHS officers are going about their investigation,” said spokesman Brooks Merritt, and no further information is being released.

 

[scotts]

I can't see it being very long before farms start to see increased pressure for safety regulations

 

[TylerG]

I can't see it being very long before farms start to see increased pressure for safety regulations

I don't see that being very easy to be regulated & Controlled, way more farms than there are safety inspectors

 

[Bogger]

I can't see it being very long before farms start to see increased pressure for safety regulations

I don't see that being very easy to be regulated & Controlled, way more farms than there are safety inspectors

Farms have never fallen under OH&S regulation because back in the day farms were family run operations on private land and inspectors did not have the right nor the will to face off with a shotgun wielding farmer denying access to his land. I'm not sure how it will all unfold but with farming becoming more commercialized on larger scales with increasing numbers of paid workers from outside the family they should be regulated the same as everyone else. In my opinion once a farm becomes a commercial operation (paid employees and commercially titled land) it should be open to the same inspection process as any other business.

Problem is there are not enough inspectors in the province and many employers do not "get the hint" until a fatality or serious incident which warrants investigation.

In my safety career to date (advisor thru to corporate manager) I have been lucky enough to never have to deal with a fatality and I hope I never do.... would be horrible to have to make that phone call and inform a wife/mother/husband/father that their loved one is not comming home today, nor any other day.

I'm lucky to work within a company of people who truly believe in safety and are willing to take the time and spend the money to ensure we are doing things in the best way possible, but even at that all it takes is one mistake/oversight/act of stupidity to cause an incident and possibly a fatality...

Condolances to the families.......

 

[pistonbroke800]

I wouldnt give the patch too big of a pat on the back yet. Company i work for had a fatality in Conklin last week and i know of another incident where a guy lost a leg and is probably going to lose the other on a site in Edson last week. IMO the patch is gernerally a safe place to work with many great policies and practices in place. The whole culture of the industry has turned to safety which i think is great. We still have a long way to go though i guess if things like this are still happening in our industry.

 

[fredw]

what the hell does this have to do with farming since there was no farm related dealths... keep your oil patch safety crap out of the farms... bunch of overpaid unworked babys

Five men have died on the job in our province in just one week.
The first incident happened Monday in Wainwright when a man fell from scaffolding. He died of his injuries Thursday.
On Wednesday a worker in Lethbridge tire shop was killed when he was crushed between a forklift and a shed.
Thursday morning a young contract worker fell to his death in one of the stacks of the ATCO Battle River power plant about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
That afternoon a ramp fell on top of a worker near Conklin killing the man.
Friday morning a man was crushed by a backhoe while at his job 25 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.
None of the incidents are related but Occupational Health and Safety officials say the string of incidents is unusual.
“The construction industry in Alberta is an industry known to have a higher degree of risk than many other industries but it is unusual to see so many incidents in such a short period of time,” said Brookes Merritt with OHS.
Merritt said they are going to continue focused inspections of work sites and educational campaigns. They’re also in the process of hiring more inspectors. There are currently 122 inspectors. By January 2013 they are hoping to have an additional 10.


Read more: Five Alberta workers die on the job within one week | CTV Edmonton News

 

[007sevens]

fredw, I grew up on the farm and have ran my own operation for over 15 years now, and your an Idiot.

I feel that too much is placed on the act of practicing safety and having rules to follow. I could be totally wrong here but how much is placed on the worker that made the mistake. Is it always a safety malfunction when someone gets hurt.

My Condolences to the families

 

[fredw]

lol tell me how you really feel... well you take your 15 years and times it by three and thats my exsperience, we run a much more efficient workplace that does not have all the redtape that the patch has... no one wants that crap, shake your head kido

 

[007sevens]

lol tell me how you really feel... well you take your 15 years and times it by three and thats my exsperience, we run a much more efficient workplace that does not have all the redtape that the patch has... no one wants that crap, shake your head kido

Still don't think your seeing the point I was making and it wasn't about safety regulations on the farm. Sit back and sleep on it Grandpa.

 

[DRD]

what the hell does this have to do with farming since there was no farm related dealths... keep your oil patch safety crap out of the farms... bunch of overpaid unworked babys

Some guys in the patch are overpaid unworked babies, some farmers are ignorant hicks.
A wide brush no??
RIP to the guys that died. No one should die at work trying to support his family be it farm, rig or Walmart.

 

[fredw]

RIP to the guys that died. No one should die at work trying to support his family be it farm, rig or Walmart.

so true

 

[OLIVE DRAB DEAN]

So sorry to the families that lost loved ones. I am pretty lucky, 28 years in the oil patch and not one LTI. I think safety starts between the ears. You can preach, put up signs, have a ton of safety meetings but it's up to each and every person to work safe. Wether on a farm or on a work site.
Work safe people, everyone should go home at the end of the day.

 

[rmk 800 144]

Now days people need to slow down at work...
I know the guys dad who fell down the stack on Thursday. He just finished school and he was married 14 days ago.
No one should die at work. That's my thought.
If it takes 2 hours instead of 1 hour do it the safe way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scotts]

The current fatality's have nothing to do with farming, but rest assured changes to the way farms conduct themselves are comming,