Work on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project at the Burnaby Terminal has been suspended after a worker was seriously injured during an on-site incident Tuesday.
A statement released by Trans Mountain on Wednesday evening did not elaborate on the nature of the incident or what injuries were suffered by the contracted employee, other than to say that the individual remains in hospital in stable condition.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” the statement read.
The statement goes on to say that as a result of this incident, “all construction operations in the Lower Mainland have been immediately suspended and Trans Mountain is fully cooperating with WorkSafeBC and the Canada Energy Regulator.”
In a separate statement, the Canada Energy Regulator confirms the worker injury at a construction site for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, with Chief executive officer Gitane De Silva saying in a statement Wednesday that her thoughts are with the person who was hurt, their family, fellow workers and others affected.
De Silva said in her statement that the injury was reported to the Canada Energy Regulator late Tuesday, and its safety specialists were on-site Wednesday. She said those specialists will oversee the company’s investigation and conduct an assessment of risk and potential non-compliances.
The Canada Energy Regulator added that the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee for the project has been notified, adding that Trans Mountain is fully co-operating with WorkSafeBC and the CER.
Oversight of occupational health and safety measures for the expansion project is a shared responsibility of the Canada Energy Regulator and provincial authorities.
“Any incident is one too many,” De Silva added in her statement. “Every day, on every work site, people have the right to feel and stay safe. This sad occurrence brings home why we must always keep safety as our priority.”
WorkSafeBC confirmed Thursday they were notified of a serious incident at the site and they have launched an investigation.
– With files from The Canadian Press