Date of incident: October 2014
Notice of incident number: 2014166960046
Employer: Shake and shingle mill

Incident summary
A worker was cleaning up wood waste at a shake and shingle mill. While he was cleaning, he was drawn into the tail spool of a waste conveyor. A co-worker found him entangled in the tail drum. The worker succumbed to his injuries in hospital.

Investigation conclusions
Cause

• Worker was drawn into an unguarded conveyor: The tail drum of the waste conveyor was not guarded at the time of the incident. The worker was drawn in and became entangled between the belt of the conveyor and this tail drum.

Underlying factors

• Lack of an effective health and safety program: The employer did not ensure that the health and safety program was fully implemented and effective. If an effective program had been implemented, the hazard of the unguarded tail drum on the conveyor would have been found through workplace assessments and inspections, and it would have been guarded.
• Lack of effective safety supervision: The fact that an unguarded conveyor remained in operation in a highly visible location for many years is evidence that safety supervision of the workplace was not effective.
• Lack of proper training and orientation: The worker had worked at the mill for seven weeks and was considered a new worker. There is no record that the employer gave any orientation to the worker. As a new worker without proper training and orientation, he may not have recognized the hazard of the unguarded conveyor belt and tail drum.

Request the full report

Additional resource:
Safety bulletin: Conveyor hazards in shake and shingle mills