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Injured worker raises red flag

An employee at Meadow Creek Cedar hurt in an industrial accident this month says the mill’s management must shoulder some responsibility for his injury. The worker, who asked not to be named, suffered a shattered leg when he was hit by a log on the morning of February 4. The incident happened in an open area on the edge of the log yard. At the time, the man and a colleague were using a loader to get ice out from the base of a conveyor.
67261westernstar02_01MeadowCreekCedar
Meadow Creek Cedar faced several wrongful dismissal lawsuits from former workers.

An employee at Meadow Creek Cedar hurt in an industrial accident this month says the mill’s management must shoulder some responsibility for his injury.

The worker, who asked not to be named, suffered a shattered leg when he was hit by a log on the morning of February 4. The incident happened in an open area on the edge of the log yard. At the time, the man and a colleague were using a loader to get ice out from the base of a conveyor.

“The ice was quite thick in the pan of the conveyor,” he told the Star. “We were breaking it up. The last time the loader went in, I told [my co-worker], lift everything up, get it out of there, and back out.”

However, he says as the loader backed up, it clipped a log, which initially spun away, but the operator panicked and went forward again. “It fired everything right back at me and caught me in the lower leg.”

He was knocked to the ground, but says he was fortunate a first aid attendant was on site. He was taken as far as Lost Ledge in the company’s emergency vehicle, and then transferred to an ambulance.

Following a brief stop in Kaslo, he was transported to Nelson, and then sent on to Trail for surgery. Doctors diagnosed a tibia/fibula fracture and compartment syndrome, where nerves, blood vessels, and muscles are compressed. They cut open his leg to relieve the pressure.

The man spent five days in hospital, and is now off work indefinitely on a compensation claim. Doctors couldn’t tell him how long the leg might take to heal. “They said it’s going to be a while, is all.”

He’s not in a cast, but has surgical dressings on his lower leg and is using crutches.

“I don’t want to point fingers at my co-workers, because I don’t think it’s their fault,” he says of the accident. “I think the training end of it is very poor. That stems from management. I think there’s a lot of issues where they have to smarten up.”

He added, however, that he couldn’t recall witnessing any other specific incidents.

He’s been at the mill for the last eight or nine months — called back to work after a lengthy shutdown. He estimates about 20 people are on the payroll, although their cheques are often tardy.

“They’re constantly late,” he says. “It’s always two weeks behind. It’s really hard to plan your life or do anything.”

Meadow Creek Cedar was cited last year for more than 30 safety violations, including not having a certified first aid attendant, not providing proper safety training, and not having a properly equipped emergency vehicle.

The mill entered creditor protection in 2009, with outstanding debts of $2.2 million.