Coun. Gerry Lowe, whose ward includes the metal recycling company, said the city is helpless but the province must do something after Darrel Richards died of workplace injuries last week, the second person to die on the job in AIM over the past seven months. “I was hoping there would be more this time than starting it again,” Lowe said. Saint John–Rothesay MP Wayne Long said it’s time the province suspended AIM’s license. “Enough is enough,” Phileleftheros said in a tweet. “After 2 deaths in the last 7 months, it is time for AIM to end its operations in Saint John.”
The Labor Council calls for a shutdown
Long said he wants AIM out of town, where west side residents already had to put up with backyard blasts. Shawn Gorman Wetmore, president of the Saint John District Labor Council, said it doesn’t make sense not to have a full stop-work order after Richards’ death last week. “I don’t understand why the building isn’t closing,” he said. “You can’t cut off an area and keep the plant running safely. And out of respect for this man, it should be shut down until they find out what’s coming out of it.” The province’s comments so far suggest the public won’t learn anything about what happened at AIM for another year or hear Labor Minister Trevor Holder express any safety concerns he may have. The AIM plant is located on federal land, but its operations are regulated by the province. The province, however, says it is not its responsibility to enforce safety. CBC News requested an interview with Holder but received a statement via email. “The tragic incidents at AIM facilities over the past few months, including the one last week, deeply concern me as Labor Minister,” the statement said. “Incidents like these deeply affect our families and communities and should never happen again. “Late last week, when I learned of the incident at the AIM facility, I contacted WorkSafeNB to receive an update and raise these concerns. I was assured that all steps have been taken to ensure a thorough investigation is carried out outside and that they will issue appropriate orders or recommend charges to the Crown, depending on their findings.” Holder said it would not be appropriate to comment while the investigation is ongoing. Enough is enough. After 2 deaths in the last 7 months it is time for AIM to end its operations in Saint John. —@MPWayneLong In the statement, spokesman Paul Bradley said the department is responsible for the Health and Safety at Work Act, but administration of the Act is the responsibility of WorkSafeNB. “WorkSafeNB is the lead investigator for any workplace incident and would be best placed to answer any questions relating to any workplace incident.” CBC News sent a follow-up request for a response in light of Long and Lowe’s comments. WorkSafeNB spokesman Laragh Dooley said there was no need for a complete shutdown because there was no risk to the full installation and health and safety checks were in place. Dooley said both investigations could take 12 months or more, and no information can be released until they are complete.
New details on November’s death
The man who died in November 2021 has not yet been identified. On Tuesday, Dooley shared new details about what happened. “The worker who was killed was a truck driver for a contractor delivering materials to the site,” he wrote in an email. “Tragically, he was killed when he was hit by an attachment on the end of an excavator arm.” A boom is the arm of an excavator that usually has a bucket or clamp on the end and is used for digging or moving heavy objects. Richards’ death seven months later involved a press cylinder used in the pressing process. These machines have now been shut down, but the rest of the factory is still in operation. Dooley said the stop work order on machines with pressure rollers would be lifted once WorkSafe determined it was safe to operate all the rollers. He also said WorkSafeNB will only close an entire facility when there is a risk to the entire facility and “health and safety checks are not in place”. Dooley said in November that no stop-work order had been issued. “WorkSafeNB did not issue a stop work order as the process was governed by appropriate policies that made the operation safe when followed,” he said.
The public deserves information, leaders say
Wetmore said just because AIM workers don’t have a union doesn’t mean the company shouldn’t be held publicly responsible for two deaths. “I guess you don’t hold yourself accountable anymore until something happens that turns people’s heads,” he told Information Morning in the Summer. He said it’s time for the metal recycler to answer questions about worker safety — specifically about the training it provides and the health and safety plans already in place. He said it was important that this information was shared publicly, not just with WorkSafeNB, because investigations into workplace deaths can take a long time. Lowe said it was “frustrating” that the public had no way of knowing what happened until the inquests took place after 12 months. “I think the public is demanding and needs to have an answer about what has happened,” he said. “I think we have a right to know. And I’m not saying as a councilman, I’m just saying that the general public should have a right to know.” Darrell Richards, who died on July 1 in a workplace accident at AIM, was the second person to die on the job at the scrapyard in the past seven months. (Submitted by Rick Richards) Shawn Gorman Wetmore said health and safety training is a key feature of modern workplaces and is mandatory, but non-union workers may not know what their rights are. Dooley said that once the investigations are complete, depending on the findings, WorkSafeNB “may recommend to the Department of Justice that AIM be charged with breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act and its regulations”. American Iron and Metal has not responded to a request for comment.
Problems in the yard
AIM has been the site of a major fire, several loud explosions, threats of legal action and several stop-work orders since it signed a 40-year lease with the Port of Saint John in 2002. Explosions and fires could be caused by multiple parts of the scrap yard operations. Fires could be caused by friction when the non-metallic material inside the car is removed before the metal is recycled. The company has previously said the explosions are caused by propane and gasoline tanks in broken vehicles going through the wrecker. In December 2020, Michael Cormier, director general of AIM Atlantic, posted on social media promising to reduce the number of explosions. To do this, a quality control inspector prepares daily inspection reports and imposes financial penalties when hazardous materials are found in a customer’s shipment.
