Abbotsford/Richmond – Back in June 2019, WorkSafeBC responded to an incident at the Abbotsford (Dewdney) water treatment plant.
While performing upgrades and maintenance at the plant, two workers were exposed to a residual amount of chlorine gas, a toxic process gas, which remained in the line the workers were isolating from the main chlorine source at the facility.
The total fine was $318,707.80.
Both workers, one of whom was a supervisor, had been wearing self-contained breathing apparatus, but their regulators had not been connected to their full facepieces.
According to WorkSafeBC, the employer ( the city of Abbotsford) failed to develop an exposure control plan for chlorine gas for this facility. It failed to conduct a risk assessment and did not prepare written safe work procedures for the handling of chlorine in relation to the hazardous tasks being performed. The employer also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated violation based on prior violations that had occurred at another of the employer’s locations.
Administrative penalties are fines imposed on employers for health and safety violations of the Workers Compensation Act (Part 3), the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and/or orders of WorkSafeBC, and for failure to take sufficient precautions to prevent workplace injuries or illnesses. Penalties are published as a deterrent and to highlight the importance of making workplaces safe.
