Following the death of a farm worker struck by lightning last August in Oka, the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) recommends that farm owners better inform employees the dangers of lightning and what to do in the event of a thunderstorm.
Posted yesterday at 9:15 p.m.
August 10, 2021. Around 7:30 p.m., Oscar Antonio Vicente-Torres, temporary foreign worker, was performing a task in a cauliflower field in N. et L. St-Denis SENC The sky then became overcast and the employees heard thunder and saw lightning nearby. However, they continued their work. A few minutes later, Mr. Vicente-Torres was struck by lightning. First responders arrived at the scene to transport him to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The workers were never instructed to evacuate the field and take shelter, can we read in the conclusion of the CNESST investigation unveiled Thursday. Moreover, they were not informed of the dangers of lightning, the document states. “In the absence of procedures associated with the danger posed by lightning, the workers continued their work in the field during the passage of the storm,” the Commission wrote.
In order to avoid such an accident, it is necessary to monitor weather conditions and spot the signs that a thunderstorm is brewing, the report reads. Next, employees must “take refuge in a safe shelter as soon as [qu’ils perçoivent] lightning and stay there 30 minutes after its last manifestation”, recommends the CNESST. The latter will also develop a tool intended to inform workplaces about the risks associated with lightning. The preventive measures to be put in place to protect employees working outside will also be found there.
However, after the accident that occurred last August, the employer complied with the requirements of the CNESST by establishing an evacuation plan and training the workers in the risks associated with thunderstorms.
At the time of writing these lines, N. et L. St-Denis SENC had not responded to our interview request.
“One death too many”
“One death is one death too many,” says Denis Roy, director of finance and agricultural labor at the Union des producteurs agricole (UPA). In terms of health and safety at work, employers must issue daily reminders to workers, he believes.
“In the event of a thunderstorm, employees must be told that if they see or hear lightning, they must take refuge in vehicles,” explains Mr. Roy, regarding field evacuation procedures.
With climate change, farmers will be more confronted with storms, fears Denis Roy. “We will have to be even more vigilant,” he said.
The event that occurred last August is not the first of its kind in Quebec. In 2012, a farm worker was struck down in Saint-Rémi. At the end of the inquest, coroner Yves Lambert recommended that farm owners better inform employees of the risks of lightning.