RIP
Contractor charged after Fort McMurray worker killed in fall through roof
CBC
Thu, October 24, 2024 

Charges have been laid after a worker sustained fatal injuries after falling through a roof on a Fort McMurray worksite in June 2023. ( Government of Alberta - image credit)


A contractor is facing workplace safety charges after a worker died in a fall in Fort McMurray last year.

The worker was removing construction material from a roof on June 8, 2023, when they fell through the roof to the floor below. The worker sustained fatal injuries.

Pacific Rim Industrial Insulations Ltd. has been charged with four counts under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act.


The charges, which were laid on Oct. 10, include failing to ensure a worker was protected from falling when working at a height of three metres or more.

According to the charges, the worker was not equipped with an adequate restraint system and was not protected by guardrails.

It is alleged that the company had failed to develop a fall protection plan for its workers, as required by the OHS code.

According to the legislation, employers must ensure that employees are informed of all fall hazards at each work site. Employers must also enforce the use of fall protection systems when employees are at risk.

The charges have not been proven in court. Company officials have not responded to requests for comment on the case.

According to the company's website, the contractor specializes in insulation, cladding and asbestos abatement for sectors including the chemical, oil and natural gas industries.

Indonesia’s killer commodity

The workers paying the price for Indonesia’s nickel boom

Critical minerals producers are lauded by the government for creating jobs and generating revenue, and they market themselves as socially responsible. But they are neglecting the safety of their workers under a cover of weak regulations and government protection.

Alfian Al-Ayubby - 14 Jun, 2024

On 13 June 2024, a nickel smelting furnace at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi caught fire and exploded, sending two workers to hospital. A year earlier, on 24 December 2023, a smelting furnace at the same facility also caught fire and exploded, killing 13 workers on the spot; several others late succumbed to their injuries later in hospital, resulting in the death of 21 workers. Another 39 workers suffered severe burns in the 2023 incident, with some becoming disabled and unable to work.

These tragic events expose a major flaw in the Indonesian government’s ambition to establish the country as the world’s nickel processing hub. Indeed, the Indonesian government’s policy of resource nationalism, particularly through nickel downstreaming, has successfully transformed Indonesia’s position in the global markets for this newly ‘critical’ mineral, with rising production figures, an increasing market share.

According to the International Nickel Study Group, Indonesia’s share of global nickel exports surged from 20% in 2015 to 80% in 2020. The export value of nickel-related commodities, particularly stainless steel, ferronickel, and battery materials, soared from US$6 billion in 2013 to US$30 billion in 2022. As of July 2023, Indonesia had 43 nickel smelters in operation, with an additional 28 under construction and 24 in the planning stages. The majority of investors are from China, with additional investment coming from the United States, Brazil and Australia.

The nickel downstreaming policy has been spruiked by the government as a boon for workers as well as the national balance sheet. As President Joko Widodo said during a visit to a Sulawesi smelter, downstreaming “…will create jobs, for instance, 27 thousand workers can be recruited in this company. Also, it will generate tax income for the country”.

In reality, downstreaming prioritises economic value and tax revenue over worker welfare. Officials have portrayed it as Indonesia’s  path to becoming a developed country, while turning a blind eye to pressing social and labour concerns arising from the policy.

An industry too important to regulate?

A focus on the business practices of two major nickel groups: Tsingshan Holding Group and Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry reveal the contradictions in the downstreaming policy. The influence of these Chinese companies in Indonesia’s nickel industry is undeniable. They are the backbone of the downstreaming effort, controlling over half of the nation’s nickel production and operating vast smelters employing thousands of workers.

Tsingshan operates two smelter parks: IMIP in Central Sulawesi, and the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) facility in North Maluku. Each park houses dozens of companies involved in the extraction and processing of minerals. Up until now, IMIP in general has employed approximately 120,000 workers, approximately 90% of whom are Indonesian; the rest are Chinese. Meanwhile, IWIP claims to have employed more than 24,000 local workers in 2021 with a goal of 36,000 in 2022.

Jiangsu Delong has three smelting companies: Obsidian Stainless Steel (OSS) and Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI) in Southeast Sulawesi, and Gunbuster Nickel Indonesia (GNI) in Central Sulawesi. Since 2023, VDNI and OSS together have employed more than 10,000 workers, and GNI has also employed more than 10,000 workers.

Most of the nickel processing facilities, including those owned by these two groups, have been classified by the Jokowi administration as part of the National Strategic Projects (Proyek Strategis Nasional, or PSN). The majority of Chinese-funded energy and infrastructure projects are included in the PSN (e.g., Jakarta–Bandung high speed rail, industrial parks, toll roads) and receive policy and security prioritisation. In addition, the Widodo administration has strengthened the protection of investments in the nickel and smelting sector through the enactment of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation 2022 and its derivative regulations.

Often hailed as investments that can boost the economy and create jobs, these smelters pose significant problems. These problems include poverty, pollution, tax evasion, low wages, poor working conditions and poor occupational safety and health (OSH) standards. A recent report found that smelters benefit only a handful of people, while workers struggle to make ends meet and neighbouring communities remain impoverished. In 2017, IMIP was reported to be in tax arrears and faced a fine of IDR 60 billion (US$3.7 billion). Similarly, since 2021 VDNI has owed IDR 74.5 billion (US$4.6 billion) in tax arrears and has yet to pay the amount, despite repeated requests from the tax office.

Workplace fatalities and impunity

Another issue of great concern in the nickel smelting sector is the risk of occupational diseases and recurrent fatal accidents at work. According to some reports, since IMIP began its operations in 2015, there have been tens of thousands of cases of respiratory disease among workers. Similar conditions have been experienced by workers at IWIP and OSS. These illnesses are caused by coal pollution, ore dust, and sulphur odours caused by chemicals used in nickel processing.

Other reports also document the recurrence of fatal accidents at nickel processing facilities over the past decade. A database of workplace accidents I compiled from various sources, including company reports and local media outlets, shows that  between 2019 and 2024, 96 accidents occurred at nickel smelters in Indonesia, resulting in the deaths of 97 workers. Of these, 43 accidents occurred at Tsingshan smelters, resulting in the deaths of 56 workers, and 33 accidents occurred at Jiangsu Delong smelters, resulting in the deaths of 26 workers.

The number of work accidents in the nickel and smelting sector is indeed a relatively small percentage of the number of work accidents in Indonesia. In 2021 the number of work accidents was 234,370; in 2022, this figure rose to 265,334; and in 2023, it rose to 350,826.

Related

Indonesia’s killer commodity

The kretek cigarette industry and its devastating public health impacts are sustained via a huge apparatus of labour, and appeals to cultural nationalism

Marina Welker 21 May, 2024

However, in all cases of workplace accidents, the government often sees them as isolated events born of individual misconduct. In the case of occupational diseases in the nickel and smelting sector, for instance, workers can be blamed for not wearing personal protective equipment properly, whereas in terms of work accidents, workers can be blamed for not following work procedures.

But the issue of workplace accidents is in fact a structural problem. In the nickel and smelting sector, the data shows that workplace accidents have a similar pattern: explosions, fires, and heavy vehicle collisions. This is a systemic problem arising from weak regulations and lack of government supervision, which leads employers to apply poor OHS standards, seen in the form of long working hours, overtime, and the use of dangerous chemical substances and poorly maintained work equipment.

In this context, corporations conduct their business with impunity guaranteed by the government. Such impunity is usually reserved for politically and financially influential investors, especially those whose companies are included in the PSN. Following the fatal accident at IMIP on 24 December 2023, police named two Chinese workers as suspects for causing the explosion in the smelter furnace. One of these suspects was a financial supervisor. Many critics have condemned the police action as an attempt to scapegoat the foreign workers.

In fact, top management should be held accountable because there is a chain of responsibility in the workplace and in the organisation of production in general. Labour inspectors are also responsible for failing to conduct routine inspections in the workplaces where fatal accidents have occurred repeatedly. The legal case of this accident is still unclear. The police have submitted the IMIP case to the prosecutor’s office, but no further action has been taken.

Union demands

An alliance of trade unions at the local level in the nickel smelting area and their affiliates in the national level, along with NGOs, have repeatedly demanded improvements in working conditions in the workplace and the strengthening of OSH systems in the nickel smelters. Some of their more detailed demands include the need for a robust OSH regulation in the mineral processing sector, particularly nickel. Unlike related sectors such as mining, the smelting sector does not yet have such regulations. This type of regulation will ensure clear and systematic oversight from the national level to the workplace level.

In addition, this advocacy coalition is demanding an increase in the number of specialised inspectors in heavy sectors such as mining and smelting, and the assignment of these inspectors near accident-prone industrial areas where they can be easily reached by trade unions. So far, labour inspectors have only been stationed in provincial capitals with limited supervisory capabilities and tend to collude with company managements. The unions are also calling for the establishment of an independent national OSH commission with oversight and investigative powers to monitor business practices, including those in the mining and smelting sector. Indonesia already has a National OSH Council, but it only provides advice to the Ministry of Labour and has no oversight authority over employers.

Finally, unions advocate for the involvement of workers and themselves in the monitoring of OSH in the workplace. Although within-firm OSH committees are mandated by existing regulations and their members consist of both labour and management representatives, these committees often serve only as an advisory bodies to management and lack independent oversight. The involvement of unions makes OSH oversight more independent and there is no fear of retaliation from the workers to report companies’ misconduct.

So far, there has been no policy from the government and smelter companies in response to genuine demands from unions. On the one hand, the Jokowi administration has repeatedly warned smelters to improve working conditions and prioritise worker safety, yet has made no attempts to strengthen labour supervision and law enforcement. On the other hand, smelters have become more aggressive in spending on public relations campaigns: the GNI smelter paid Kompas, a major newspaper, to write a series of coverage on implementation of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

International pressure

As the Widodo administration nears its end, it’s likely that president-elect Prabowo Subianto will maintain his predecessor’s nickel policy without making substantial changes. However, Indonesia’s significant role in the global nickel market has put the country in the international spotlight. International pressure is needed to add strength to the pressure already put forward by workers and trade unions in the country.

After the passage of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, some US senators have objected to opening their market to Indonesia, citing issues related to human rights, environmental protection, and labour rights. The IRA restricts access to the US market for essential mineral exports from countries that do not have specific free trade agreements with the United States. Of course, the IRA is inseparable from underlying geopolitical tensions with China, and the trade war and de-risking in response to them. However, Indonesia appears concerned about the Act’s implementation. Jokowi has lobbied Biden on this matter, but as of now, no resolution has been reached.

Australia also needs to put pressure on Indonesia. Australia already has a Modern Slavery Act in place, which requires that certain entities operating there report on the risks of modern slavery within their supply chains, regardless of whether those risks occur domestically or internationally. The Sydney-based company Nickel Industries Limited, is currently investing in IMIP and IWIP. The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report has in 2022 and 2023 highlighted the risks of forced labour in one or more nickel mining companies it says are ‘affiliated with the PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative’, likely an allusion to Tsingshan and/or Jiangsu Delong. Unions and NGOs in Australia should stand in solidarity by putting pressure on the government and its corporations to warn Indonesia of the poor business practices in the nickel and smelting sector.

The growing demand for nickel, driven by the energy transition, will continue to seduce nickel-producing countries and corporations to force their workers to work overtime to increase productivity. Therefore, it’s crucial to continue mounting fierce international and domestic pressure to support unions and workers in fighting for their rights.

• About the Author

   Alfian Al-Ayubby

  Alfian Al-Ayubby is a writer and labour researcher based in Jakarta. He has been researching labour issues since 2013, and since 2018 has been conducting field research at coal-fired power plants and nickel smelters in Indonesia

CALGARY

Water restoration delayed after work-site injuries forced pause of main break fix

CBC
Thu, June 13, 2024 

Work was paused at the site of a water main break after two people were injured. (Monty Kruger/CBC - image credit)


Fully restoring Calgary's water service will take longer than expected, but exactly how long is still undetermined.

Work to fix a feeder main break that triggered citywide water restrictions last week can now resume after two workers were injured at the site.

At around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, a contractor was welding to install the metal collar on the new section on the pipe. While doing that, a chain broke and caused injuries.


Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) was called in. The provincial agency determines when work can resume.

"Keeping our employees safe is a core value of the city," said Christopher Collier, the City of Calgary's occupational health and safety director.

"There are safety protocols for returning the site to operations and this has been underway since the clearance was provided by OHS Alberta."

The site was green lit for welding activities at around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. That work is expected to resume in the afternoon.

The Bearspaw south water main, which is 11 kilometres long and as wide as two metres in parts, suffered a break on June 5 that temporarily left hundreds of homes and businesses in the city's northwest without water.

The Bearspaw south water main, which is 11 kilometres long and as wide as two metres in parts, suffered a break that left hundreds of homes and businesses in the city's northwest without water.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said work to repair a critical water main break was halted after two workers were injured Wednesday night. (City of Calgary)

Conservation remains critical

In an update on Wednesday — a week after the main failed — officials told Calgarians they can expect water restrictions to continue into the middle of next week.

Gondek said water consumption has crept up again, this time by nine million litres, taking the city far above the safe threshold.

"I now must ask you to do more on your water conservation to support those that are working to restore our safe water supply," Gondek said Thursday.

Water supply is also lower than it has been over the past few days.

"This morning, we were at a place where we don't have enough of a cushion for emergencies," Gondek said. She said emergencies include things like water used in hospitals and for firefighting.


The City of Calgary said the first cuts to the damaged pipe were made over the weekend.

The Bearspaw south water main, which is 11 kilometres long and as wide as two metres in parts, suffered a break that left hundreds of homes and businesses in the city's northwest without water.. (City of Calgary)

On Wednesday night, firefighters battled a two-alarm fire in the southwest neighbourhood of Woodbine.

Sue Henry, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), said crews used around 100,000 litres to put out the blaze.

In comparison, she said, a fire of that size would typically require between 600,000 and 1.5 million litres of water.

"This is a great reminder for us to ensure our first responders have the water that they need to respond to public health and safety situations while we are all making this effort to conserve water," Henry said.

Mandatory Stage 4 water restrictions that were implemented when the feeder main broke last Wednesday are still in place and the city is still under a fire ban that extends to propane and gas fires.

To date, there have been 1,250 bylaw calls for water misuse and 90 calls for fire ban violations. In response, 376 written warnings were issued. As well, two tickets were handed out for water violations — both to private construction contractors.One ticket was issued related to the fire ban.

Making progress on repairs

Before the work stoppage on Wednesday night, progress had been made on fixing the broken infrastructure. A new section for the feeder main pipe was lowered into place at the site near Home Road and 16th Avenue N.W. in Montgomery.

The removed pipe was transported to another location for failure analysis. The city said it is looking at the information collected and will use that for plans going forward.

An inspection of the rest of the feeder main pipe is ongoing. More than four kilometres, or 80 per cent, is complete, according to Francois Bouchart, the director of capital priorities and investment with the city's infrastructure services department.

But it will still be a while before the city figures out exactly what led to the pipe breaking.

"I want to stress that it will take us time to determine the exact cause. We have a team of engineers analyzing and interpreting the data," Bouchart said.

"Our focus remains on the repair crew safety and our path to restoring water."


Work to resume on Calgary water pipe after injuries; consumption continues to rise

The Canadian Press
Thu, June 13, 2024 



CALGARY — Repairs to a fractured Calgary water pipe were to resume Thursday after two workers were injured at the site, while the city's mayor pleaded with residents to step up their conservation efforts.

Chris Collier, the city's director of occupational safety, said welding the replacement pipe into place would continue after provincial officials gave the all-clear Thursday morning.

"This morning, (Occupational Health and Safety) Alberta determined welding work could continue," he said.

The workers were taken to hospital Wednesday night and one remained there with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Infrastructure director Francois Bouchard said the injuries are likely to delay the repairs by a day or two. Previous estimates suggested repairs would be complete by the middle of next week.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jyoti Gondek continued to plead with Calgarians to conserve water after recent days saw consistent increases in consumption.

"That is taking us far above the safety threshold," she said. "This morning, we were at a place where we really didn't have enough of a cushion for lifesaving efforts like those in hospitals and firefighting."

Gondek said daily water use increased by another eight million litres on Wednesday. That would bring the city's consumption up to 490 million litres -- well above Saturday's 440-million-litre mark.

"We have to be doing this together," she said. "This is not a joke and it is certainly not a conspiracy. It is serious."

That warning became reality Wednesday night when firefighters responded to a call. Emergency management chief Sue Henry said early response allowed crews to extinguish the blaze with 100,000 litres of water instead of the average requirement of up to 1.5 million litres.

"This is a great reminder to ensure that our first responders have the water that they need," she said.

Bouchard said the seven-metre replacement length of pipe was in place and that a robot inspection device had checked out about four kilometres of line -- about 80 per cent of that section of pipe, which carries 60 per cent of the city's water.

"This experience has led us to do further tests to look at the condition of the pipe now that it has been drained for the repair," he said.

All residents have been asked to cut their water usage at home with measures like shorter showers and fewer toilet flushes. A mandatory ban was ordered on outdoor watering, window washing and fires.

Bouchard said the city does have the power to restrict indoor water use.

"We don't want to unnecessarily impact people's livelihoods," he said. "However, we are prepared to take more firm measures if consumption levels require it."

The break occurred June 5, making Thursday Calgary's eighth day of restrictions.

A seven-metre section of replacement pipe, big enough in diameter for a car to drive through, arrived on the site Tuesday.

Installing and welding the new pipe into place was expected to take about two days. Flushing and filling the pipe will take another three. Finally, readying the new section of pipe for water flow into the city's underground reservoirs will take two days.

City officials have said the pipe was 49 years into its expected 100-year life and there was no indication from any of the city's monitoring that the pipe was about to fail. Modelling of pipe stresses, including factors like age, pipe materials and operating pressures, didn't suggest an inspection was needed, Bouchard said.

The pipe was running within its pressure limits. Acoustic monitors, designed to detect early signs of failure, revealed none.

Bouchard said physically inspecting the pipe would have required shutting it down and digging it up, putting stress on both it and other pipes in the system.

Henry said bylaw officers were taking an "education approach" to calls about improper water use.

She said the city had received 1,250 such calls. Officers had issued 376 written warnings, two tickets concerning water and one for fire.

-- By Bob Weber in Edmonton

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2024.


Calgary mayor stresses water conservation as feeder main repair timeline updated

CBC
Wed, June 12, 2024 

Officials say City of Calgary crews are working 24/7 on repairing the water feeder main that plunged the city's water supply into a critical state. (City of Calgary - image credit)


The problem section of the water feeder main that ruptured in Calgary is being repaired, but that doesn't mean water supply worries are ending any time soon.

During a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, city officials continued to urge residents to limit their water use.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek spoke Wednesday at the city's regular update on the water main break and said the city's water use Tuesday increased from the day before.

"Preliminary numbers show us that water use yesterday was 480 million litres, which is up slightly from the day before," said Gondek.

"But it's at the threshold that we want to try to maintain. It's also down 100 million litres from our average at this time of year."

An updated repair timeline was released on Tuesday. City officials say work to repair the water main will go into next week.

An updated repair timeline was released on Tuesday. City officials say work to repair the water main will continue into next week. (City of Calgary)

Gondek said the repair plan has three main stages:

Install the new replacement pipe, which will take roughly two days.


Flush the feeder main, removing any leftover water and sediment, which could take up to three days.


Fill the pipe and ready the city's network for water to begin flowing again, which will take about two days.

Officials said Calgarians can expect water restrictions to continue into mid-next week.

Nancy Mackay, director of water services for the City of Calgary, said Wednesday that crews have now inspected 1.8 kilometres of the rest of the pipe.

The section of pipe being replaced is about seven metres long (23.5 feet).

Surrounding towns asked to conserve Calgary water

Calgarians aren't the only ones being asked to limit their use.

The City of Airdrie is one of the municipalities — like Strathmore and Chestermere — that uses Calgary's water supply.

Since the water main break, Airdrie's top 100 water users have been contacted and asked to reduce usage, according to Mayor Peter Brown.

"Everybody's been great so far," Brown said in an interview on the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.

LISTEN | Airdrie's mayor talks conserving water, working with Calgary:

Brown said his community is under Level 4 water restrictions, so outdoor watering is restricted and residents are being asked to be mindful of their indoor water usage. Calgary is under similar restrictions.

He said Airdrie is almost halfway through a 20-year agreement on water sharing with the City of Calgary.

"This isn't over yet," he said. "You've got some awesome people that are working diligently to get this fixed."

As of Friday morning, bylaw officers had attended eight calls for fires and 56 calls for misuse of water, according to the City of Calgary.

Bylaw officers are attending calls for misuse of water, according to the City of Calgary. (Helen Pike/CBC)

Foreman cleared of criminal negligence in Dartmouth construction site death 
BLAMING THE VICTIM; USING DRUGS

CBC
Fri, January 5, 2024 

A Kent Building Supplies location was under construction at 680 Cutler Ave. in Dartmouth, N.S., at the time Brandon Alcorn was fatally injured in 2018. (Marina von Stackelberg/CBC - image credit)

A Nova Scotia judge has found a foreman who was charged with criminal negligence related to the death of a 22-year-old labourer at a Dartmouth, N.S., construction site not guilty.

Jeff Gooch was a supervisor and foreman for Insulated Panel Structures. He was working at the Dartmouth Crossing construction site in March 2018 when Brandon Alcorn fell from the Kent Building Supplies store that was under construction. Alcorn died from his injuries and Gooch was charged in December 2019.

In his ruling released on Thursday, Jan. 4, Justice D. Timothy Gabriel said Alcorn was likely intoxicated when he fell more than five metres to the ground. Alcorn was wearing a harness but it was not anchored to the roof, Crown prosecutor Alex Keaveny said.

At trial, toxicologist Jennifer Swatek testified both delta-carboxy THC and delta-9 THC — the latter she described as a psychoactive material deposited in the body after the ingestion of cannabis — were found in the samples of Alcorn's blood taken before his death.

"At page 2 of the report, she describes it as the active ingredient found in marijuana. She describes the drug as a 'DEA schedule one hallucinogen. Pharmacologically, it has depressant and reality distorting effects," Gabriel noted in his ruling.

Dr. Neal Sutton, who Gabriel described as a medical consultant to a number of large employers, told court that in his view, there is no acceptable level of delta-9 THC in a worker's blood when performing tasks like working from heights.

Delta-9 THC found in blood

Gabriel noted Sutton said the drug has impairing effects that can "negatively impact the user's balance, field of vision, and awareness of their surroundings."

"I accept Dr. Sutton's conclusion that it is more likely than not that Mr. Alcorn was intoxicated when he arrived for work on the morning of March 13, 2018," Gabriel said in his ruling.

"Even if I had concluded that failing to ensure that each member of the IPS crew was tied off while performing their job tasks on that date was 'an act or omission that was the accused's legal duty to do,' I would have been left in significant doubt that such was the cause of Mr. Alcorn's unfortunate and tragic death."

One of Alcorn's favourite hobbies was working out at the gym.

Brandon Alcorn, 22, died on March 13, 2018, after he fell while working at the construction site for the Kent Building Supplies store in Dartmouth Crossing. (Janice Way)

Gabriel goes on to say that the fact Alcorn showed up to work intoxicated "appears to have been an intervening event."

"I conclude that it is likely that his intoxication caused him to depart significantly from the route which his actual work duties ought to have required, a route to which he appeared to have no difficulty adhering the day prior," Gabriel wrote.

"Mr. Alcorn's conduct was so grossly inappropriate as to have been virtually unforeseeable on the accused's (or anyone else's) part. It would have had the effect of severing the cause of the death from Mr. Gooch's act or omission (if I had concluded that there was one)."

What happened leading up to the fall

Alcorn fell off the roof 10 minutes after arriving at work. He had been measuring and cutting lengths of blueskin — a weatherproofing membrane — for the structure for his two co-workers, including Gooch. Gabriel said Alcorn was rolling out another length of blueskin while walking backward and "ultimately walked backward off of the far right edge of the canopy."

Dana Munroe, who was also part of the crew, testified that Alcorn had been doing exactly the same job the day before and never noticed him walking back any further than was necessary.

Scott Andrews, the site's superintendent, testified he had not observed any safety infractions committed by the IPS crew. Andrews works for Maxim Construction and part of his job entailed ensuring the company's safety requirements were being followed.

Warning lines

"Moreover, he did not identify any unsafe work procedures or job hazard analyses submitted by Mr. Gooch on behalf of IPS, to that point, that were inconsistent with safe practices in the industry," Gabriel noted.

The issue of fall protection came up in Gabriel's ruling. Barry Oxner, who runs Total Fall Protection in Dartmouth and consults on worksite safety, offered an opinion on the evidence in this case. He said the implementation of fall protection measures and the use of fall-protection equipment is a legislative requirement when working at a site over three metres in height. Alcorn had been on a canopy about five metres above the ground.

In the ruling, Gabriel noted Oxner suggested bump lines or warning lines could be helpful. They're intended to prevent workers from getting too close to the edge, but Oxner said in court that bump warning lines are not permitted in Nova Scotia.

Instead, Nova Scotia's Occupational Health and Safety Act says guardrails must be installed on each working level of a project as work progresses, if there is a risk of falling at a doorway or the opening of a building floor, roof, walls or shaft.

While Alcorn was provided with a harness, a shock-absorbing lanyard and an anchor for fall protection, Oxner questioned whether some of the equipment had been used in a previous fall because it was damaged. Under cross examination, Oxner said the harness could have been damaged when Alcorn fell.

But Gabriel "did not place a great deal of weight on [Oxner's] evidence," calling him "argumentative and evasive," and noted "he really had no idea whether or not the equipment was satisfactory at the time Mr. Alcorn put it on."

Keaveny said the Crown is reviewing the judge's decision carefully and hasn't yet decided if it will appeal.

Numerous OHS charges

Gooch and his employer, Insulated Panel Structures, are still facing numerous Occupational Health and Safety Act charges, which were on hold pending the conclusion of the criminal charge.

IPS is charged with failing to ensure an employee had valid fall protection training, failing to establish a written fall-protection safe-work procedure and four counts of failing to ensure appropriate fall protection was used where there was a risk of falling from a work area.

Gooch is charged with four counts of failing to take reasonable precaution to protect health and safety in the workplace, failing to ensure he, as foreman, had up-to-date fall protection training and knowingly furnishing an officer with false information.

The case is scheduled in Dartmouth provincial court on Feb. 5.

Op-Ed: Noise pollution — A deafening killer, getting worse?

ByPaul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
January 3, 2024

Residents of the area around Schiphol, a densely populated zone, have regularly complained about the airport's noise nuisance 

- Copyright ANP/AFP ARTHUR VAN DER KOOIJ

Noise is an accepted part of human existence to the point that it’s getting dangerous. Statistics from the World Economic Forum from 2017 were bad enough. Six years later, the science is better, but the news is worse.

What’s really odd about noise pollution is the very vague, nebulous information in circulation.

There’s an understated flow of hard information about different types of noise pollution and a continuous feed of pretty grim if also rather generalized predictions. One of the issues here is that specific health risks usually aren’t explored in any degree of depth.

The health risks of noise pollution are more serious than anyone would expect from the muted information available. Harvard Medicine has a useful article about noise pollution that spells out the health issues.

Nor has there been much movement on noise pollution since. Harvard points out that the EPA started making noises about health risks 50 years ago. Like most information about any kind of pollution, it is prioritized downward.

This culture of selective deafness has added to the mix of problems with ignoring the obvious. New noise sources include industrial noise, overpowered woofers, ear pods, and overuse of headphones. When you’re hit with a loud noise, that sound is a physical force transferred as vibrations.

(For the record – Louder isn’t better and tends to distort sound quality. You don’t need high volumes at all.)

Unhealthy levels of noise start at 70 decibels according to the CDC. The CDC includes a helpful list of sources of possibly unhealthy sounds starting with common domestic appliances.

These technologies include: Higher cycle frequency noises which can affect the upper register of hearing,
Anything blocking ear passages and generating noise could affect internal ear stresses and pressures.
Lower wave near-infrasound noises that can resonate with delicate ear tissues.

The scale and range of devices and uses which make noises is also expanding. Leaf blowers and other high-cycle atrocities without mufflers are used regardless that people don’t normally wear sound protection. The user may be protected, but nobody else is.

The effectiveness of sound insulation is also highly dubious. Some residential buildings are good at blocking out external noise. Most aren’t. Some are echo chambers, amplifying sound. Any enclosed space with a hard reflective surface will do.A New York state law aims to penalize helicopter companies that make too much noise. — © AFP

Health risks

Hearing loss – “Attrition by noise” isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, pun intended. Some level of hearing loss is “natural”, according to someone. In practice, the physiological type of hearing loss is the primary issue. Hearing loss may be caused by neurological issues, for example.

However – High levels of additional external stress don’t help any type of medical condition. There’s no doubt that intrusive levels of sound are physically as well as psychologically irritating. Noise is more stressful in an already stress-saturated world.

The WHO predicts that 2.5 billion people will have some form of hearing loss by 2050. That’s about 1 in 4 people worldwide.

Interestingly, the WHO doesn’t directly address noise pollution as such on that link above. It refers to OHS and “safe listening”, but not the wider practical issues regarding sources.

The overall picture is of a total lack of enforced policies. Nothing needs to be noisy. Sound insulation technologies have progressed a lot since 50 years ago.

The cost and health risks of managing 2.5 billion people with hearing loss in a deafening world are entirely avoidable.

Solution; stop the noise before it starts.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

WRITTEN BY Paul Wallis
Editor-at-Large based in Sydney, Australia.

Suncor draws regulatory probe after deaths
Bloomberg News | February 15, 2023\

Suncor Energy Inc. — the Canadian oil producer that’s being targeted by activist Elliott Investment Management LP — has racked up 32 safety violations in the past three months amid a special regulatory probe of its sites.


The province’s Occupational Health & Safety division stepped up inspections of Suncor late last year, and that resulted in increased citations, spokeswoman Kristjanna Grimmelt said in an email. The agency’s orders cite problems ranging from general housekeeping matters to fire and explosion dangers.

By contrast, just three orders were issued against the five other largest oil-sands producers in the same period, including two against Cenovus Energy Inc. and one against Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

Suncor is “committed to improving our safety performance,” Sneh Seetal, a spokeswoman for the Calgary-based company, said by email.

“We met with OHS in the fall and are working to support them in their inspections,” Seetal said. “Initial inspections took place in November and December 2022, and the inspection plan is expected to continue through 2023.”

Many of the compliance orders have been closed, and the remainder are in progress to be resolved, she said. None required Suncor to stop work, she said.

While some of the orders pertained to issues like chemical and biological hazards, many were for concerns including scaffold design, guardrails, specifications and certifications, as well as log books for cranes, hoists and lifting devices, according to OHS records.

Suncor Base Plant. Credit: Suncor Energy

Suncor interim Chief Executive Officer Kris Smith addressed safety at the start of an investor call early Wednesday, saying collision-awareness and fatigue-management systems are being rolled out at all of its sites. The company also doubled the safety component of employees’ annual incentive program, he said.

Suncor’s safety record has been a central theme of Elliott’s campaign against the company, which it took public in April, about three months after a truck accident killed a contractor and injured two others at its Base Plant mine. In June 2021, a person was killed at a Syncrude mine, and two deaths occurred in December 2020 at the Fort Hills mine.

(By Robert Tuttle)

Suncor's fourth-quarter profits increase 76 per cent to $2.74 billion

The Canadian Press

Suncor Energy Inc. says it earned $2.74 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 76 per cent increase from the $1.55 billion it earned in the same three months of 2021.

The Calgary-based company says its increased profit was due to the higher price of crude and refined product realizations as well as higher upstream production, partially offset by increased operating expenses.

On an adjusted basis, Suncor says it earned $2.43 billion, or $1.81 per common share, compared to $1.30 billion or 89 cents per common share in the prior year's quarter.

The energy giant says its total upstream production increased to 763,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 743,300 boe/d in the prior year quarter, primarily driven by increased production from the company's oilsands assets.

Suncor's refinery crude throughput was 440,000 barrels per day and its refinery utilization was 94 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 447,000 bbls/d and 96 per cent in the prior-year quarter. 

It attributes the decrease in part to unexpected maintenance that occurred in the quarter, including that required as a result of bad weather at the company's Commerce City refinery.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2023.

 

• Decision on new Suncor CEO expected 'very soon'

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

Suncor Energy Inc. did not announce the name of its new CEO on its fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday, though interim chief executive Kris Smith said a decision is expected "very soon."

The Calgary-based oil producer and refiner has been on the hunt for a new CEO ever since former chief executive Mark Little resigned last July, under pressure from an aggressive activist investor and in the wake of a spate of workplace deaths and safety incidents.

Smith, who was formerly executive vice-president of Suncor's Downstream division, has been serving as interim CEO since that time. Suncor had previously indicated a permanent CEO would be named by mid-February, and Smith told analysts on a conference call Wednesday that a decision is imminent.

"The board is going through a very diligent process, ensuring that they make the decision that's going to take this company forward," Smith said. 

"I mean, we're sitting here at Feb. 15, so I expect the decision and the announcement will be coming fairly soon."

Two of the board directors serving on the CEO search committee were named to Suncor's board in July, as part of a deal the company struck to appease U.S.-based activist investor Elliott Investment Management.

Elliott publicly expressed frustration last spring at what it called a recent decline in performance at the energy producer. At Elliott's urging, Suncor recently completed a strategic review of its downstream retail business, a review that considered possibly selling off the Petro-Canada chain. However, the company ultimately decided to keep the retail business.

In the eight months since being named interim CEO, Smith has implemented a number of changes aimed at improving worker safety at Suncor sites, which had been another problem area flagged by Elliott. At least 12 workers have died at the company's oilsands operations in northern Alberta since 2014, and former CEO Little resigned just one day after the most recent fatality.

Smith told analysts that collision awareness systems are scheduled to go live at Syncrude's Aurora mine by the end of the first quarter, and Suncor is also on track to complete implementation of collision awareness and fatigue management technology systems across all nine of its oilsands sites. 

The company is also reducing the size of its contractor work force by 20 per cent, a move Smith said will reduce the number of exposure hours that put the company at risk for workplace injuries or fatalities, while also lowering costs.

"We are making progress on contractor workforce reductions in our mining and upgrading business and remain on track to achieve a 20 per cent reduction by mid-2023," Smith said. 

"And to be clear, these reductions will not be replaced by our in-house workforce."

Smith told analysts that he is pleased with the progress that has been made on workplace safety so far.

"I always say, this is a journey, and you don't measure this thing in days and months," he said. 

"But what I would say is since I've taken the interim CEO role, I've been pleased with the direction I've seen in safety performance, both in personal safety and process safety. And we've seen a reduction in the number of incidents over that period of time."

Suncor reported Tuesday evening that it earned $2.74 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 76 per cent increase from the $1.55 billion it earned in the same three months of 2021.

The company said its increased profit was due to the higher price of crude and refined product realizations as well as higher upstream production, partially offset by increased operating expenses.

On an adjusted basis, Suncor says it earned $2.43 billion, or $1.81 per common share, compared to $1.30 billion or 89 cents per common share in the prior year's quarter.

The energy giant said its total upstream production increased to 763,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 743,300 boe/d in the prior year quarter, primarily driven by increased production from the company's oilsands assets.

Suncor's refinery crude throughput was 440,000 barrels per day and its refinery utilization was 94 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 447,000 bbls/d and 96 per cent in the prior-year quarter. 

It attributed the decrease in part to unexpected maintenance that occurred in the quarter, including that required as a result of bad weather at the company's Commerce City refinery.

Tour bus operator faces health and safety charges in deadly Icefield crash



Friday
The Canadian Press

JASPER, ALBERTA — A tour bus operator has been charged in a deadly rollover at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park nearly two years ago and more charges could be on the way.

The Alberta government said Friday that Brewster Inc. faces eight charges under the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act related to use and maintenance of seatbelts, failing to control hazards and failing to ensure equipment was in safe operating condition.

Three people were killed and 14 others had life-threatening injuries after the big-wheel red-and-white Ice Explorer lost control on the road to the Athabasca Glacier, about 100 kilometres southeast of Jasper, Alta., on July 18, 2020.

The bus with 27 people on board rolled about 50 metres down a moraine embankment before coming to rest on its roof.

Tours of the Icefield resumed last year. The tour bus operator said seatbelts had been added to the buses, and changes to driver training and road maintenance have been made.

Pursuit, the company that runs the Icefield bus tours, said in an emailed statement that it can't comment on specifics of the case because of legal proceedings.

"We continue to support a transparent and multi-agency investigation into this tragic accident," it said.

The case is to be in provincial court in Jasper on June 23.

A final RCMP report into the rollover has not been publicly released but was submitted to Alberta prosecutors in April.

The Crown will determine if the evidence warrants any criminal charges.

"The RCMP is aware of the charges that resulted from Alberta Occupational Health and Safety’s separate investigation. The RCMP have shared all requested investigative material gathered during the criminal investigation with the Ministry of Labour and Immigration as required by the Alberta OHS Act," the RCMP said in a release.

"The RCMP’s criminal investigation is independent, separate and parallel to the OHS investigation."

The RCMP said it will provide a further update to victims and families when the outcome of the criminal investigation can be shared.

There have been two civil lawsuits filed on behalf of people on the bus that day. Some plaintiffs have expressed concern about the delay in finding out what happened.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 13, 2022.

ECOCIDE / OHS

Crews remove snow from damaged Alaska pipeline oil tanks


This March 16, 2022, drone photo provided by Alyeska Pipeline Co. shows snow covering 62-foot tall and acre-wide oil tanks at the Valdez Marine Terminal in Valdez, Alaska. Workers at the endpoint of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline are using saws to cut up large blocks of hard-packed snow on top of the oil storage tanks so they can shove the chunks off the tanks, some of which have damaged infrastructure after more than 4 feet of snow fell in Valdez in a month. 

(Alyeska Pipeline Service Company via AP) 


Fri, March 25, 2022

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Workers at the end point of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline are using saws to cut up large blocks of hard-packed snow on top of oil storage tanks so they can shove the chunks off the tanks.

More than four feet (1.2 meters) of snow fell in the community of Valdez between mid-February and mid-March, causing the snow buildup that has damaged infrastructure and vented petroleum vapors into the environment, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday.

Wet weather then caused the snow to freeze during colder weather, said Donna Schantz, who leads the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council. The group monitors the activities of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates the pipeline.

The tanks are located at the Valdez Marine Terminal and Alyeska said it has periodically taken some of the 14 tanks out of service. There have been no disruptions to oil shipments, the company said.

As many as 80 contractors wearing respirators to protect them from fumes are working in shifts around the clock to clear the snow off the tanks, Alyeska spokesperson Michelle Egan said. Additional resources are expected.

The contractors are roped to the tops of the tanks and must use handsaws to remove the snow since they can’t use power tools because of the risk of sparks that could set the petroluem products in the tanks on fire.

Each of the 14 tanks is 62 feet (19 meters) tall and spans 1 acre (0.40 hectares). It generally takes a crew of 10 or 11 people up to two weeks to clear snow from each tank.

“That is taking tremendous focus,” Egan said. “We do things very methodically, very safely. It takes as long as it takes.”

The tanks hold the oil until it is loaded onto tankers for shipment. Alyeska is owned by affiliates of North Slope producers ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Hilcorp. The pipeline moves about 500,000 barrels of crude a day through the 800-mile (1,287-kilometer) pipeline.

Up to four tanks have been taken out of service at various points after the snow pileup sheared off valves installed along the upper edges of the tank roofs. The valves are part of a system used to regulate vapors coming off the oil, and the accumulated snow created enough downward force to knock off 10 valves, Alyeska said.

Workers are installing temporary caps in place of the damaged valves.

A state regulator said at least seven tanks have released vapors into the atmosphere, violating Alyeska’s Clean Air Act permit.

Potential penalties or enforcement actions haven’t been decided yet, Moses Coss, an official with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said.

“We have been in contact with our regulators since the beginning,” Egan said in an email to the Daily News. “We followed our permit and reported emissions appropriately.”

The contractors are wearing respirators because the broken valves are allowing the release of hydrocarbons like benzene, a carcinogenic chemical that is dangerous at high levels of exposure.

The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration "sets the limit for benzene exposure; our limits are more conservative,” Egan said. “We do not permit workers to work in areas with detectable levels of hydrocarbon without respirators.”

The workers wear traction devices and are roped to the tanks to prevent them from falling.

Four workers have slipped while removing snow, which the company described as “first aid injuries” in a letter to employees. A copy was obtained by the Anchorage newspaper.