March 18, 2013

Grand Prairie welder dies in jobsite explosion

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

A welder was recently killed by a workplace explosion at an industrial park in Grande Prairie, Alberta, which is the second fatality due to an explosion in the province over the last few weeks.

“A thirty-year old male was welding a tank in the back of a truck, when the tank exploded and he was instantly killed,” said Brookes Merritt, spokesperson for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S).

“A stop work order was issued and other orders are pending.”

RCMP and other emergency responders were called to an explosion at about 9:30 a.m. on Mar. 7, at the Mountview Business Park outside of Powerstroke Well Control Ltd.

The male was pronounced dead at the scene and no one else was injured, according to the RCMP.

Police said there is nothing to indicate that there was anything criminal about this incident with initial indications being that this was a workplace fatality.

OH&S is conducting an investigation.

The incident is the second workplace-related explosion to kill an Alberta worker in recent weeks.

A gas explosion killed one worker and critically injured two others at a residential construction site in Fort Saskatchewan on Feb. 21.

The worker has been identified by family as 33 year-old Jason Michalycia from Regina.

He was working inside the home with his cousins, Wes and Wilfred Michalycia, when the explosion took place.

The blast burned their clothes off.

The explosion was strong enough to blow out the front window, as well as blow out the two sides of the house onto the neighbouring homes. It also blew out the rear wall.

The men are employed by Wil-Flow, who is the plumbing and mechanical contractor on the project.

The prime contractor is Rose Croft.

OH&S officers are still investigating the cause of this explosion and one that rocked a duplex under construction in Spruce Grove on Feb. 23.

The RCMP said two male sub-contractors had been tiling in the kitchen throughout the day and indicated they had smelled a gas like substance in the home.

These males were working in the home, when the basement exploded. They were able to escape the residence unharmed.

The fire department said the duplex is totally destroyed.

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