A Toronto-based company that provides recycling transportation services has been fined more than $73,000 by WorkSafeBC for the December 2020 death of a driver who was hit by a commercial trailer near Nanaimo.
In its report on the incident, WorkSafeBC said one of the drivers for GFL Environmental Inc. was reconnecting a commercial trailer to a transport truck when, while the driver was waiting for the truck’s air system to recharge, the trailer rolled and fatally struck the driver.
The trailer’s wheels had not been chocked at the time, WorkSafeBC said. Chocks are wedges placed under the wheels to ensure it does not move.
WorkSafeBC listed several shortcomings by GFL Environmental Inc., including the fact that it had not carried out a risk assessment for the job of reconnecting the trailer, and it did not mandate using chocks.
As well, a similar incident had taken place at another of the company’s locations, but the resulting safe operating procedures had not been shared with all locations.
“The firm failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety,” WorkSafeBC said.
The company also did not make sure that its occupational health and safety program included records and reports of incident investigations. And it failed to ensure that equipment unsafe for use was identified as such, WorkSafeBC said.
No other details were released.
