Nearly two years ago, Darrell Richards American Iron and Metal In Saint John, New Brunswick, there is still no formal hazard identification program in place.
The coroner's inquest into his death continued on Tuesday.
Health and safety consultant Stephanie Spinney testified that she tried to implement such a program after the incident but was turned down, adding that “it was too restrictive and they didn't want to do it.”
She testified that she spoke with Ryan Cyr, the company’s director of operations for St. John, who she claims told her, “If we did a hazard analysis on everything that came in the door, we wouldn’t be able to work.”
She said she began working on the project after WorkSafeNB completed a gap analysis of the West End facility.
“I had written a plan, but it wasn’t followed through,” she said.
The inquest, chaired by Coroner Michael Johnston, looked into inexperienced use of calendar scrolls, safety processes for decommissioning calendar scrolls and safety lapses at the St John’s nuclear power station.
what happened
Richards, 60, was working as a contractor for American Steel and Metals on June 30, 2022, when the incident occurred.
According to WorkSafeNB, Richards was working on the calender rolls to remove the “denim” material from them.
Calender rolls are commonly used in pulp and paper mills. They are traditionally used to make paper, calendar pile or smooth paper, including magazine paper.
Their covers can be made of different materials including polymer, rubber, granite, cotton (denim), and metal.
Calendar rolls vary in length but can be up to 25 feet long. Together with the material, calendar rolls can weigh up to 54,000 pounds.
WorkSafeNB investigations manager Michel Cyr wrote in the report that Richards was using a circular saw to cut denim from rolls when he straddled the calender roll and the energy was released.
June 30, 2022, calendar roll of Darrell Richards working at American Iron and Metals.
Submitted/WorkSafeNB
About 3,700 pounds of material decompressed under 1,500 tons of pressure, sending debris flying into the air, some of which struck Richards in the groin, severing his femoral artery. Video footage viewed by the jury showed Richards being thrown into the air at the moment of impact.
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'Realize' calendar rolls 'are dangerous'
On Tuesday, multiple people testified that the St. John's AIM facility had never decommissioned or processed calendar rolls before.
The calender rolls were originally purchased from ND Paper in Maine, which is now downsizing, according to David Falk of ND Paper.
He said they sold it to a joint buyer but needed proof of policy for retired calendar rolls to release it.
In an email to United Buyers employees, Falk explained that this compression could pose a risk, saying, “As we have discussed, these components are highly compressed and could release dangerously, much like a compressed spring, if not properly removed.”
The two men offered Falk two methods of removing the compressed material, which Falk said he was satisfied with, including using a LeBounty Sheer to remove it.
Another method is to put it through a special grinder that removes the cotton material. Falk testified that he was comfortable with this method.
But he said he was unaware the metal was being resold to American Iron and Metals.
Three rolls remained after the sale, and Falk admitted they were sent elsewhere for retirement.
“After this incident, I did lose trust.”
Vern (Joe) Reynolds of American Iron and Metals in Maine was not present at the coroner's inquest but said he advised AIM SJ that the calendar rolls would have been dangerous once shipped.
He said they have dealt with these issues in Maine before, but not recently, but they have a process for safely removing these substances.
Reynolds testified that he wanted them to stay in Maine, but he said “someone above me said 'Ship them out of St. John'.”
Maine shear machine operator Micheal Height also did not attend the inquest, but played an audiotape of an interview with Seale in which he said he had moved the material before, slowly flicking it away, leaving about 10 to 15 feet of space between the work area and the machine's cab.
“I love going home at night. I won't do anything to get in the way of that,” he said in the recording.
Adam Wallace, AIM operations manager, testified Tuesday that he received a call from Reynolds about a week after the accident.
He expressed his condolences but also said he “knew” the calendar roll was “dangerous”
“I wish he had told me this before,” Wallace testified.
Unofficial Security Check
Michael Cormier, vice president of AIM's Atlantic operations, told jurors Tuesday that materials coming into the facility were informally screened for security.
Cormier was asked if policies had changed since the 2022 incident, and he said they are stricter now than they were then.
“What’s more important is how we identify hazardous materials coming into the facility,” he said of the process.
Certain materials may be rejected as a result of the process. While there are no formal rules, “everyone knows about it,” he said.
The coroner's inquest did not find any wrongdoing or blame but made recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future.
