December 6, 2010

Construction worker dies after 20-foot fall at oil sands worksite

A contract worker was found dead after a 20-foot fall at a Syncrude oil sands construction site near Fort McMurray, Alta.

“This worker fell approximately seven metres through an opening in the scaffold, falling into ductwork,” said Barrie Harrison, spokesperson for Alberta Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S).

The 60-year man, who was employed by Jacobs Industrial Services, was found by Syncrude emergency crews around 11:30 am on Dec. 1. He was pronounced dead at the scene and there were no witnesses to the fall.

“The EMS (Emergency Medical Services) arrived on site first and had to extract the worker through a high-angle rescue and were unable to resuscitate the man,” said Harrison.

The death occurred at the Mildred Lake sulphur dioxide emission reduction project, about 35 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray.

OH&S issued a stop work order for the area of the fatality and both the OH&S and the RCMP continue to investigate.

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with this man’s family and friends at this difficult time,” said Scott Sullivan, Syncrude president and CEO. “We are working with the RCMP and Alberta Occupational Health & Safety. We will also conduct our own investigation to find out what happened.”

JOC Digital Media

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