The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is investigating the death of a locomotive engineer at a B.C. rail yard on Monday.
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) confirmed the man, a 56-year-old father with 32 years on the job, was a member of the union.
The teamsters said the “circumstances surrounding the accident are unclear,” but that it occurred Monday night at Canadian Pacific Railway‘s rail yard in Port Coquitlam.
CP confirmed the death, and said it was also investigating the circumstances.
“The company’s deepest sympathies go out to the employee’s family, friends and colleagues,” said spokesperson Andy Cummings in an email.
“CP is offering counselling to the family and our employees through our Employee and Family Assistance Program.”
The union said the death was the 10th involving one of its members in the last two years, and noted that workplace safety was at the heart of the recent CN Rail strike.
“Our hearts go out to the locomotive engineer’s family and everyone who worked with him,” said TCRC president Lyndon Isaak in a media release.
“The rail industry is in crisis. We have lost 10 of our sisters and brothers over the past 24 months. It’s 10 too many.”
The BC Coroners Service confirmed the victim was a Mission, B.C. resident, and that it was conducting its own investigation to determine how, where, when and by what means the man died.
The TSB said it was currently assessing the accident, and was in contact with all parties involved.