Fatality Alert

On August 9th, the owner of a log hauling company was fatally injured while working around his shop in the Prince George area. He was jump starting a tractor when it moved inadvertently, pinning him under the rear wheels.

Our condolences go out to the family and co-workers of the deceased.

WorkSafeBC and the Coroners Service are investigating this incident.

This is the third fatal incident within the last 10 months that has involved equipment or vehicles rolling over workers. The previous incidents occurred in the Fraser Lake and Ladysmith areas where workers were doing maintenance underneath a log truck and a heavy duty truck.

Although the details of this incident are still unknown, review the following safety information:

1. Doing work around the shop or office will have risks that are often overlooked. Stop, assess the risks and come up with a plan to do the work safely, even when doing routine tasks in these locations.
2. Locking out all machinery including wheeled equipment is very important when performing maintenance. Follow the lock out procedures on the BC Forest Safety Council’s website if your company does not have any for particular pieces of equipment.
3. Upset conditions create high risk situations that lead to many incidents. An upset condition is anything that is out of the ordinary for you or your operation; including sickness, stress, equipment breakdowns or unusual weather conditions.

Safety Resources:

1. Lock Out Resources including procedures, safety alerts, stickers and posters.
   /files/res_Lockout.pdf
2. Links to previous fatality alerts
   /node/2761
   /node/2727
3. RADAR system for handling upset conditions
   /RADAR
4. Print version of this alert for posting or crew meetings
   /files/BCFSC-FatalityAlert-2016-08-09.pdf