Provincial safety investigation leads to charges against three companies

April 21, 2009, EDMONTON--Fifty-three chargeshave been laid under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act against three companies in the death of two workers in 2007.

The charges result from a provincial government investigation into an April 24, 2007 incident at the Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) Horizon Oil Sands project near Fort McKay, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. Two temporary foreign workers from China died, two others were seriously injured and three workers received minor injuries when the roof of a steel oil storage tank being constructed, collapsed. The workers were welding the wall structure inside the tank when the roof support structure collapsed onto them.

CNRL, Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Company Ltd., and SSEC Canada Ltd. each face numerous charges including several counts for failing to ensure the health and safety of the workers.

Other charges include failing to ensure that a professional engineer prepared and certified drawings and procedures; failing to ensure the roof support structure inside the tank was stable during assembly; failing to ensure that U-bolt type clips used for fastening rope wire were installed properly; and failing to ensure that wire rope being used was safe.

The first court appearance for all three companies will be June 8 in Fort McMurray provincial court.

The maximum penalty for a first offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act is $500,000 for each charge. For more information on workplace health and safety in Alberta call 1-866-415-8690 toll-free, 780-415-8690 in Edmonton, or visit employment.alberta.ca/whs.