Canadian Safety Reporter

Safety Reporter Canadian www.safety-reporter.com December 2018 New trial ordered after Alberta oil drilling rig fatality and conviction Company was convicted on two safety violations, but Court of Appeal agreed proof was needed that company didn't take all reasonable steps to protect deceased worker BY JEFFREY R. SMITH AN ALBERTA company con- victed of two safety violations following a fatal accident on an oil drilling rig is getting a new trial after the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled the accident itself wasn't enough to prove the vio- lations. Precision Diversified Oilfield Services Corp. is an oilfield ser- vices company based in Calgary. In 2010, Precision employed Frazier Peterson as a floorhand — a position whose job duties included handling pipes, casing, and drilling equipment on the drill floor of oil drilling rigs. Pe- terson also operated semi-auto- Danger from unstaffed post not normal condition of work Some level of danger is part of the job for correctional officers, but staffing control post full-time was reasonable safety measure: Tribunal BY JEFFREY R. SMITH THE RISK correctional officers face at an Alberta correctional insti- tution caused by a control post only being staffed for part of the day is not a normal condition of employment and warranted an officer's work refusal, the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Tribunal has ruled. The Edmonton Institution is a maximum security facility run by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in Edmonton. The property includes eight inmate living units and different courtyards CHRONIC PAIN DISABILITY FROM OTHER AILMENTS, NOT WORKPLACE INJURY Worker had already received benefits for workplace injury; ongoing pain from migraines, CTS not compensable pg. 5 PRE-EXISTING DISABILITY DIDN'T CONTRIBUTE TO NEW ACCIDENT Employer denied cost relief for worker's loss- of-earnings benefits in absence of evidence linking knee injury to earlier accident pg. 3 WORKER GETS BENEFITS AFTER RESIGNATION DUE TO AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS Worker was told to resign rather than seek benefits or accommodation pg. 6 INSIDE NEWS BRIEF Duty of care > pg. 4 Credit: Shutterstock/AL PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY Blindspots > pg. 2 PM #40065782 AIR INDIA OPERATIONS DIRECTOR FIRED AFTER FAILING BREATH TESTS (Reuters) — Air India's director of operations Arvind Kathpalia, who failed two breathalyzer tests before he was scheduled to be a pilot on a London-to-New Delhi flight, has been fired and the airline will carry out an investigation. The state-owned carrier said in a statement that the breach of Indi- an civil aviation requirements has "serious implications on passen- ger safety." Air India said it wanted to assure its passengers that "un- der no circumstances" would their safety be compromised. Earlier, an airline official said Kathpalia was asked to resign by India's civil aviation ministry. But in its later statement Air India said he had been relieved of his duties "with immediate effect." Kathpalia, who said he had not been drinking and was the victim of internal feuding, could not be immediately reached for comment. The investigation will be con- ducted by the airline's chief vigi- lance officer, Air India said. India's air safety watchdog had already suspended Kathpa- lia's licence for three years after he failed the breathalyzer tests.

• Cover