April 30, 2007

Worker complains of safety issues

FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA.

A man who says he often worked alongside a crew that included two Chinese labourers killed at an oilsands construction site in northern Alberta says he’s worried about possible on-site safety issues.

“Just two hours before the accident, we were saying to each other, ‘What the hell are they doing?’” said the man, who has 20-plus years of industry experience.

The worker, who didn’t want to be identified for fear he’d be blacklisted, alleges the crew was using out-of-date means to erect scaffolding to work at a tank farm that is part of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s Horizon project.

Canadian Natural has said everyone on site must be fully certified and follow strict safety rules.

The worker said the Chinese labourers “spot weld” tiers of steel around the tanks to use as scaffolding.

“We used to do that 25 years ago, but it’s just too dangerous,” he said.

It’s not clear if the welding method played any role in the deaths.

Real Doucet, the company’s senior vice-president of oilsands, rejected any suggestion the labour crew didn’t work up to domestic labour standards.

“Our site has one safety standard for everybody. It is a Canadian standard.”

The two Chinese workers were killed when the roof of an oil container they were working on came down on them. Four others were injured, but only two remain in hospital.

Barrie Harrison of Alberta Occupational Health and Safety said it wasn’t yet clear why the roof collapsed.

CANADIAN PRESS

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