The fatal collision between a gondola and a drill that occurred in Mont-Tremblant, in the Laurentians, in July occurred in part because the procedures that governed the movement of the machinery on the site were incomplete, concluded an inspector of the CNESST.
An Ontario soldier, Sergeant Sheldon Johnson, 50, died in the collision, while a woman in her 50s was seriously injured after being thrown from the gondola which was struck by the mast of a drill, July 16.
About a week later, an inspector from the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) banned the movement of construction equipment on the site because the risk was too high. another collision occurs.
This information is taken from intervention reports obtained by The Canadian Press following a request for access to information.
“The information obtained during the investigation shows that the conditions which led to the accident during the movement of the drill are still present on the site,” wrote inspector Jean-Philippe Gaudreault in his July 28 report. detailing his inspection carried out four days earlier.
In a preliminary report completed on site on July 24, Mr. Gaudreault emphasized that “there is no complete written procedure for moving construction equipment to the Mont-Tremblant station site.”
As for the — incomplete — procedure that was in place, it was not known to all those involved on the construction site, said the inspector.
Mr. Gaudreault therefore decided, on July 24, that in order for workers to be able to resume moving machinery on the site, the station should first develop a clear procedure and ensure that it is properly transmitted to the various contractors. .
He also asked the station operator to “ensure control of all access to the mountain” and to ensure that the barriers cannot be “bypassed” by the machines on the site.
The drilling rig involved in the collision was being used as part of a project to replace an artificial snow-making system on one of the ski slopes.
Station Mont-Tremblant did not respond to a request for reaction from The Canadian PressTHURSDAY.
Damaged drill
The CNESST finally allowed the resumption of movement of machinery on the site on August 4, after receiving an updated policy from the station.
In his report, inspector Claude Langlois noted that Station Mont-Tremblant had taken measures to ensure that workers were aware of the new policy and emphasized that it defines, among other things, “specific measures to put in place at the intersections of paths with ski lifts”.
The updated policy prohibits the movement of non-standard vehicles on weekends and holidays. The fatal collision occurred on a Sunday.
The inspection reports also show that the windshield of the drill, owned by the M2P Forage company, was cracked at the time of the collision, “which (could) have impaired the operator’s vision during the travel”.
Additionally, the drill’s horn was not working, so “the drill could not (be) heard by a worker while it was moving.”
Forage M2P also did not respond to a request for reaction on Thursday.