By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Nanaimo mill fined $284K for ‘high-risk’ violations leading to worker’s death

Mar 28, 2018 | 6:00 PM

NANAIMO — A stiff financial penalty was levied against a Nanaimo pulp mill after a worker died in a March 2016 accident.

Nanaimo Forest Product’s Harmac Pacific operation was fined a little more than $284,000 for what WorkSafeBC described as a “high-risk violation.”

An investigation found Harmac didn’t conduct a risk assessment or develop safe work procedures for the area where Chris Fletcher, 37, fell into the middle of a wood chip pile when a hole formed beneath him. Fletcher was eventually carried through a conveyor system and into a chip bin and sustained fatal injuries.

“The firm also failed to provide adequate written safe work procedures to prevent injuries to its workers. Further, the firm failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, and training necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated violation,” a report on WorkSafe’s website said.

In addition, the conveyors operated automatically with no method of alerting workers and there was no way to escape the fatal situation.

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Of the nearly 2,000 summary posts listed on WorkSafe’s site, the penalty to Harmac represents the eighth-largest fine levied.

Harmac was reached for comment late Wednesday but has yet to respond.

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