One man remains in critical condition at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) with burns suffered during an industrial accident at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP) in Port Mellon on Monday.
Another employee, who was working in the area and came to the man's aid, suffered smoke inhalation. He was treated at VGH and released later the same day. Both were airlifted to the hospital from HSPP immediately following the accident. The names and ages of the men were not released. The men are electricians at HSPP and both are long-term employees. According to Al Strang, manager, environment and external relations at HSPP, the incident took place around 10 a.m.Strang said the incident occurred when it appeared the equipment the injured man was using shorted out, causing an electric arc and subsequent fire.
The injured man was performing electrical maintenance work and was replacing an exhaust fan on electrical switchgear, according to Strang. The resulting fire was confined to a small area, and within minutes the Howe Sound emergency response team was able to contain and extinguish it, he added.
Repairs are underway and Strang hopes they will be completed by the weekend. Strang added that the paper machine is not working because the damaged equipment provided power to the main pump on the paper machine. The paper machine is silent now, but it churns out a kilometre of paper every minute when functioning properly.
In an interview with Coast Reporter Wednesday afternoon, Donna Freeman of WorkSafe BC said according to their initial investigation, the injured employee dropped his magnetic light onto an energized electrical part and this was the cause of the accident. Freeman said HSPP submitted a report and an officer was sent on Monday to begin its investigation.
She added the investigation is ongoing and they are waiting for an investigation report that HSPP is required to file.
According to Strang, the time frame for the investigation is unclear because they have been unable to talk with the injured employee due to the seriousness of his injuries. HSPP had counsellors available at various times during the week for the benefit of other employees.
Strang pointed out that HSPP has an excellent medical incident rate as determined by WorkSafe BC.
Earlier in the week it was reported by several Vancouver news outlets that an explosion had occurred at the mill, which Strang denied.
