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Local 115 works with industry to prevent further deaths
By Leslie Dyson In 2005, two members of Operating Engineers Local 115 were killed while hydro-blasting. In one case, the Operating Engineer was cleaning out the lime residue that had accumulated inside a three-inch diameter pipe. His equipment included a self-propelling nozzle with a new, still tightly coiled, hose. As he withdrew the nozzle from the pipe, it became uncontrollable. The hose recoiled and the spray shot into his upper body. His injuries were fatal. Hydro-blasting is a high-pressure water system used in industry to cut through materials such as steel plates or to clean the slag or debris that collects inside pipes or vessels. The stream of high-pressure water (up to 40,000 psi) delivers a blast so strong that it can cut through a human body or inject water and contaminants that cause injuries requiring amputation. Hydro-blasting work in B.C. is done, almost exclusively, by members of Local 115, Construction and Specialized Workers Local 1611 and Painters District Council 38. Several Local 115 members do hydro-blasting work at Eveready Industrial (Western) Ltd.’s facility in Prince George. The company implemented a policy several years ago requiring operators of the hydro-blasting equipment, as well as others in the vicinity, to wear Kevlar Cut-Proof Suits (puncture-resistant coveralls). It was the first company in B.C. to do so. Local 115 members then raised the point that this shouldn’t be the policy of just one company, it should be a safety regulation throughout the province. The union stepped in to support its members and met with the employer to see what they could do together. Union reps met with Eveready Manager Ken Stackhouse to come up with a plan to convince WorkSafeBC to make the practice a provincial safety regulation. They were successful and now the regulation is being considered in other Canadian provinces. WorkSafe held a hydro-blasting demonstration last fall. The potentially fatal power of the equipment was clearly demonstrated when, in just seconds, the high-pressure water sliced through a pumpkin (not dissimilar from the composition of a human body) and a sheet of plywood. It could have easily cut through steel as well. The demonstration left no doubt about the need for operators to have proper protection. In fact, a few months ago, a cut-proof suit saved a worker from certain death in Fort Nelson. |
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