An explosion and fire at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John on Oct. 8, 2018. (Photo: Joe Comeau/Submitted)
Charges have been laid nearly a year after an explosion and fire at the Irving Oil refinery in east Saint John.
WorkSafeNB says three charges were laid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS) on Oct. 1.
Irving Oil Ltd. faces one charge under subsection 11(b) of the act: Every owner of a place of employment or part thereof shall take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of any person having access to or using that place of employment or part thereof.
The employer, Irving Oil Refining GP, is charged under subsections 9(1)(a): Every employer shall take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of his employees.
Irving Oil Refining GP is also charged under subsection 68(b): An employer shall ensure that piping and apparatus for a hazardous substance is maintained in safe operating condition and regularly inspected.
“Since the matter is before the courts, we cannot comment any further,” said Laragh Dooley, communications director for WorkSafeNB, in an email.
As many as 3,000 workers were at the refinery when the explosion rocked the city on Oct. 8, 2018. Most were taking part in the refinery’s annual turnaround project.
Several workers were treated in hospital for minor injuries after the incident, which happened around 10:15 a.m.
Hours after the explosion, an Irving Oil official said there was a malfunction in a diesel-treating unit, which removes sulfur from diesel.
The companies are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 5.
