Alberta OH&S Incidents – December 2016

Every month, Alberta OH&S send out an e-news bulletin with relevant information for employers, workers and others regarding workplace safety in the province. Included in some of these reports are incident summaries consisting of injuries or fatalities that have been recently reported. It is so important that we learn from the experiences of others as doing so may help us to avoid similar incidents.

These summaries are based on information collected as soon as possible after the incident and do not include every relevant detail.

  • A worker removed a tarp and protective grating over an opening to do some work. Once finished, the worker placed the tarp over the opening without replacing the grating. Another worker stepped onto the tarp, falling 14 feet to the floor below. (Construction and Construction Trades)
  • A worker had a rag wrapped around a hand and was cleaning the steady rest of a lathe. The rag became tangled in the rotating lead screw and his hand was dragged into it. This resulted in an amputation injury. (Manufacturing and Processing)
    Workers were installing metal seam roofing material on a commercial building. One worker on the leading edge of the roof unclipped from their self-retracting lanyard to adjust roof sheets.
  • The worker stepped onto two overlapping roof sheets that were not on supporting joists. The sheets gave way and the worker fell 10 metres to the gravel ground below. (Construction and Construction Trades)
    A worker was operating a telehandler to unload long bundles of rebar from a trailer. The telehandler was on a slope on soft ground. The worker exceeded the load rating for the lift and the telehandler tipped over. The operator suffered a moderate injury. The telehandler was taken out of service. (Construction and Construction Trades)
  • A worker was attempting to hook his fall protection into an anchor when he began sliding down the roof deck. The worker slid approximately three metres before the self-retracting lanyard (SRL) device stopped the worker from falling off the roof edge to the ground approximately six metres below. The worker was in a seated position when he slid, sustaining a compound fracture to the lower right leg as a result of hitting the adjacent roof. (Construction and Construction Trades)

The news bulletin also includes tips on winter driving safety, and some updates on legislation and recommendations.

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