KAMLOOPS — Worksafe BC says a combination of human error and manufacturer’s mistake led to an accident that killed a Domtar employee last June.
The accident on June 29, 2017 killed a crane operator and seriously injured another worker.
A redacted incident investigation report released today (Dec. 14) refers to the fatality victim as ‘Operator 1’, but Unifor has identified the man as 57-year-old Jim MacLeod.
The report says MacLeod and his co-worker were standing on a crane chassis, attempting to stow a jib — an extension to the boom of a crane — when the jib fell.
The huge piece of equipment struck both men, causing them to fall more than two metres off the crane chassis and killing MacLeod.
Worksafe’s report says the accident happened because the jib was not connected to the boom of the crane, and lists three contributing factors to the accident.
First, it says a mechanical stop was not in position to ensure a connection to the jib while it was being mounted and stowed.
Second, it says the workers did not identify the potential hazard caused by the jib being disconnected.
And finally, Worksafe says the operator’s manual did not “fully communicate the function of the mechanical stop or the hazard associated” with the jib lock pin being in the wrong position.
As a result, the agency says it has notified Domtar of its findings and ordered the company to take the crane out of service until it has been professionally inspected and recertified.
