Photo: The Canadian Press
The Suncor Energy Inc. logo is shown at the company’s annual meeting in Calgary on May 2, 2019. Suncor says a worker has died at one of its Alberta base plant mines north of Fort McMurray, Alta. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh
A worker has died in an incident at the Suncor Energy Inc. base mine. in Alberta.
The Calgary-based energy company confirmed Thursday that a contractor died Thursday morning at the site north of Fort McMurray.
The victim’s name was not disclosed, but Suncor spokesman Leithan Slade said closer relatives had been informed.
“We understand our deepest condolences to this person’s family, friends and colleagues,” Slade said, adding that the RCMP was called to the scene and that Occupational Health and Safety is investigating.
Thursday’s death was the latest in a series of labor deaths at the company. Since 2014, there have been at least 12 deaths at Suncor sites, more than all of its oil sands rivals put together.
The series of fatalities has caught the attention of investor investor Elliot Investment Management, which earlier this spring pointed the finger at Suncor’s security record as part of its argument for a board review and the management of the company.
In May, Suncor CEO Mark Little said the company was already making changes, including a third-party safety review, incorporating a new management, including former LNG Canada CEO Peter Zebedee ( now executive vice president of mining and improvement at Suncor), and incorporating new fatigue management and collision avoidance technology into its oil sands sites to reduce risk for workers and contractors.
From that perspective, Thursday’s latest incident is unfortunate, said Mike Archibald, vice president and portfolio manager at AGF Investments Inc.
“It looked like (Suncor) was turning around on the safety side of his particular project, and obviously you now have another death that has occurred,” Archibald said.
Suncor’s deteriorating safety record includes the death of a contractor in a truck accident at the company’s Base mine site in January, as well as an incident in 2021 in which an excavator collided with a pickup truck at the mine. Fort Hills oil. This incident resulted in the death of two hired workers.
Another worker died in 2021 when the excavator he was driving fell through the ice of a waste pond at the Suncor base mine.
The company also had a fire at a refinery in March that caused an injury.
Suncor is scheduled to make a “presentation of oil oil operations” for investors on Wednesday. The event, which was scheduled before the occurrence of this most recent death in the workplace, will provide updates on production as well as “plans to ensure safe and reliable performance,” the company said.