Canada: WorkSafeBC (WSBC) has fined Lafarge Canada’s Richmond cement plant in British Colombia more than US$488,000 following the death of a worker at the site on 19 November 2020. The work safety body found that a large fan at the site had failed, causing debris to strike the employee who sustained fatal injuries.
During the investigation, WSBC found the fan's impeller had been repaired and refurbished around five months before the accident, but that “The firm failed to ensure the installation, inspection, testing, and repair of its equipment was done as specified by the manufacturer or a professional engineer.”
It added that Lafarge Canada, part of Holcim, had also failed to make sure that a qualified person had checked that the equipment was safe before operation resumed. Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police worked with WorkSafeBC on the investigation but determined that there had been no criminality involved.
