Fatality Alert
On January 27th, a worker was fatally injured while he was doing maintenance on a small sawmill in Lumby, BC. Our condolences go out to the family and co-workers of the deceased.
WorkSafeBC, the RCMP and the Coroners Service are investigating this incident.
Although it has not been confirmed if this is a direct manufacturing fatality and while the details of this incident are still unknown, please review the following safety information:
- Locking out equipment prior to maintenance activities is critical. Develop lock out procedures and train all workers on how to implement them.
- Guarding must be in place where there is potential for a worker to get injured by moving machinery. Inspect your operations regularly to ensure guarding is in place and install guarding upgrades where needed.
- Be aware that loose clothing, jewellery, hair or other items can be caught and drawn into moving equipment. Provide workers with standards for acceptable clothing, hair and jewellery.
- Work conditions change constantly; do a hazard assessment before starting any job. Ask yourself “What could go wrong here?” and take corrective action when required. Don’t become complacent.
Illustration of a mill similar to the one in this incident.
