Ottawa labour council says frustration, sadness remain in wake of Eastway Tank explosion
Posted Jan 21, 2022 09:54:55 PM.
More than a week after the explosion at Eastway Tank Pump and Meter Ltd. in Nepean, frustration and sadness remains over more lives lost in the workplace.
Six people died as a result of the massive explosion last Thursday, January 13.
“The frustration, because it should not have happened,” said Sean McKenny, president, Ottawa and District Labour Council. “There was a step, or many steps that were missed, that shouldn't have been missed.”
About 1,000 people die in the workplace, each year, in Canada. Many of those deaths, McKenny said, are preventable.
When working at a company that deals with high-risk hazards, he explained, following Occupational Health and Safety Act requirements and proper safety protocols becomes even more important.
“This was a dangerous workplace; I don't think any of us would disagree about that,” McKenny told The Sam Laprade Show on CityNews Ottawa. “They used welding torches and they were working with tanks and there was propane and flammable fluids there; because it was more dangerous than a lot of other places, those specific requirements under the Act and under regulations become so much more important.”
Multiple former Eastway Tank employees have said in media interviews that safety was lax at the company. Eastway Tank's owner has called their allegations unfounded.
“We remain in close contact with investigators, and we will cooperate with authorities on all ensuing investigations,” Neil Greene, president and owner of Eastway Tank Pump and Meter Ltd., said in a written statement after the explosion. “We want to get to the bottom of what happened.”
The investigation into the cause of the explosion continues.
