The latest death of an American iron and metal worker in Saint John has sparked calls to close the scrap yard in front of the sea.
Coun. Gerry Lowe, whose room includes the metal recycling company, said the city is helpless, but the province must do something after Darrel Richards died of work-related injuries last week, the second person to go die at work at AIM in the last seven months.
“I was hoping this time it would be more than just starting again,” Lowe said.
Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long said it was time for the province to suspend the AIM license.
“That’s enough,” the Liberal said in a tweet. “After 2 deaths in the last 7 months, it’s time for AIM to end its operations in Saint John.”
The Labor Council calls for a halt
Long said he wants AIM out of town, where western residents have already had to endure the blasts in the courtyard.
Shawn Gorman Wetmore, chairman of the Saint John District Labor Council, said it made no sense for there to be no order to stop work altogether after Richards ’death last week.
“I don’t understand why the building isn’t closed,” he said. “You can’t cut an area and keep the plant running safely. And out of respect for this man, it should be closed until they find out what’s coming out of it.”
Comments from the province so far suggest that the public will not learn anything about what happened at AIM for another year nor will they hear Labor Minister Trevor Holder express any safety concerns he may have.
The AIM plant is located on federal land, but its operations are regulated by the province. The province, however, says enforcing security is not its responsibility.
CBC News requested an interview with Holder, but received a statement by email.
“The tragic incidents at the AIM facilities over the past few months, including last week, deeply concern me as Minister of Labor,” the statement said. “Incidents like these profoundly affect families and our communities, and should never happen.
“At the end of last week, upon learning of the incident at the AIM facility, I contacted WorkSafeNB to receive an update and to express these concerns. I have been assured that all steps are being taken. measures to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out and that they will issue the appropriate orders or recommend charges to the Crown, depending on their findings “.
Holder said it would be inappropriate to comment while the investigation is being conducted.
Enough is enough. After 2 deaths in the last 7 months, it is time for AIM to end its operations in Saint John.
– @MPWayneLong
In the statement, spokesman Paul Bradley said the department is responsible for the Occupational Safety and Health Act, but that the administration of the law is the responsibility of WorkSafeNB.
“WorkSafeNB is responsible for investigating any work incident and would be in the best position to answer any questions related to any work incident.”
CBC News has sent a follow-up request for a response in light of Long and Lowe’s comments.
WorkSafeNB spokesman Laragh Dooley said a complete shutdown was not necessary because there is no risk to the full installation and there are safety and health checks.
Dooley said the two investigations could take 12 months or more and no information can be given until they are concluded.
New details about the death in November
The man who died in November 2021 has not yet been identified. On Tuesday, Dooley shared new details about what happened.
“The worker who died was a truck driver from a contractor who was sending material to the site,” he wrote in an email.
“Tragically, he died when he was hit by an accessory on the end of a digger’s boom.”
A crane is the arm of the excavator that usually has a bucket or clamp at the end and is used to dig or move heavy objects.
At Richards’ death seven months later, a press roller used in the compaction process was involved. Now this machinery has closed, but the rest of the plant continues to operate.
Dooley said the order to stop work on the press roller machinery would be lifted once WorkSafe finds it safe to operate all the rollers.
He also said WorkSafeNB would only close an entire facility when there is a risk to the entire facility and that “there are no safety and health checks.”
Dooley said in November that no work stoppage order was issued.
“WorkSafeNB did not issue a work stoppage order, as the process was governed by appropriate policies that made the operation safe when it was followed,” he said.
The public deserves information, leaders say
Wetmore said just because AIM workers don’t have a union doesn’t mean the company shouldn’t be publicly responsible for two deaths.
“I guess you’re no longer responsible until something happens that makes people turn their heads,” he told Information Morning in the Summer.
He said it is time for the metal recycling company to answer questions about worker safety, specifically about the training it offers and the health and safety plans that are already underway.
He said it’s important that this information is shared publicly, not just with WorkSafeNB, because investigations into deaths in the workplace can take a long time.
Lowe said it’s “disappointing” that the public has no way of knowing what happened until the investigations are done after 12 months.
“I think citizenship demands and should have an answer about what has happened,” he said. “I think we have a right to know. And I’m not saying as a councilor, I’m just saying that the general public should have a right to know.”
Darrell Richards, who died on July 1 in a work accident at AIM, was the second person to die at work in the scrap yard in the past seven months. (Submitted by Rick Richards)
Shawn Gorman Wetmore said health and safety training is a basic feature of modern and mandatory jobs, but non-union employees may not know what their rights are.
Dooley said that once the investigations are completed, depending on the findings, WorkSafeNB “may recommend that the Justice Department file charges against AIM for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and its regulations.”
American Iron and Metal did not respond to a request for comment.
Problems in the yard
AIM has been the site of a major fire, many explosions, threats of legal action and several work stoppage orders since it signed a 40-year lease with the Port of San Juan in 2002.
Explosions and fires could be caused by various parts of scrap operations. Fires could be started by friction when the non-metallic material inside the cars is removed before the metal is recycled.
The company has previously said the explosions are caused by propane and petrol tanks in crushed vehicles passing through the crusher.
In December 2020, Michael Cormier, CEO of AIM Atlantic, posted on social media the promise to reduce the number of explosions.
To do this, a quality control inspector prepares daily inspection reports and imposes financial penalties when hazardous materials are found on a customer’s shipment.