Victoria Bridge Incident: Safety Measures & Training Guidelines

1. NSSC Safety Conference2007 Victoria Bridge Incident Grand Mira North Cape Breton County, NS February 12, 2004

2. Victoria Bridge Incident • On Thursday, February 12, 2004, Transportation and Public Works, Steel Bridge Crew, had a suspended scaffolding incident resulting in serious injuries to one of our employees.

3. Victoria Bridge Incident • Victoria Bridge is located in Grand Mira North just outside of Sydney, NS • Past the Two Rivers Wildlife Park

4. Victoria Bridge Incident • DEL Investigators • Suspended Scaffolding • Modified Clamp

5. Victoria Bridge Incident • Work Site Setup

6. Victoria Bridge Incident • Height of Fall • Ice Covered Mira River • Materials on Ice

7. Victoria Bridge Incident • Weather Conditions • Additional Tirfor and Clamp • Ejected Clamp

8. Victoria Bridge Incident • Tirfor Winch with Cable • Man Riding Bloc Stop • Swaged Wire Rope • Damaged Safety Latch on Eye Hook

9. Victoria Bridge Incident • Debris on Ice • Top Chord Anchor • Strap Anchor

10. Victoria Bridge Incident • Bays of Through Truss Bridge • Cross members Ladder was Supported on

11. Victoria Bridge Incident • Engineered Anchor • January 27, 1997

12. Victoria Bridge Incident • Top Chord Anchor Samples • Destroyed after Incident

13. Victoria Bridge Incident • Clamp Type used on Seal Island Bridge in past

14. Victoria Bridge Incident • Clamp hooked on flange of bridge Top Chord

15. Victoria Bridge Incident • Clamp modified to provide step off from bridge

16. Victoria Bridge Incident • Sent out an Alert across province • Out-of-Service across province: All types of equipment involved in incident until root causes determined • Orders to secure equipment directly involved • Orders for various records

17. Victoria Bridge Incident • Orders given on: • Anchor points • Fall Arrest Equipment • Assessment of Suspended Scaffolding Systems • Inspection of Suspended Scaffolding Systems across the Province

18. Victoria Bridge Incident • All Suspended Scaffolding work done by TPW forces stopped across the province • All Suspended Scaffolding components were reviewed across the province • Various equipment was removed from duty and destroyed • Other equipment was sent to approved technicians for inspection and re-certification

19. Victoria Bridge Incident • Started to investigate in conjunction with DEL • Constructed Mock-up of bridge section • Experts were brought in for mock-up investigation • TPW instructed to do mock-up without DEL

20. Victoria Bridge Incident • DEL Officer • Equipment Lock-up • Investigation on-going

21. Victoria Bridge Incident • Charges Laid against both TPW and Supervisor • TPW - 7 charges, April 04, 2005 • Supervisor - 2 charges, April 04, 2005

22. Victoria Bridge Incident • Various court proceedings starting April 22, 2005 • Guilty plea entered by Supervisor on April 06, 2006 to one charge, no evidence given on other charge • Guilty plea entered by TPW on October 10, 2006 to one charge, no evidence given on other 6 charges

23. Victoria Bridge Incident • Supervisor - Plead guilty to allowing the use of the modified clamp without certification by a professional engineer • TPW - Plead guilty of not ensuring the modified clamp was certified by a professional engineer

24. Victoria Bridge Incident • Supervisor sentence - April 06, 2006 - $1,000.00 Fine - $100.00 Costs - $150.00 Victims Surcharge - Training Program attendance

25. Victoria Bridge Incident • TPW’s sentence - October 10, 2006 - $5,000.00 Fine - $15,000.00 Public Education Trust Fund - Presentation at 2007 NSSC Conference

26. Victoria Bridge Incident • Setup first Suspended Scaffolding Committee - March 23, 2004 • Worked with engineering firm to design new equipment • Top Chord Anchor Clamp just one piece designed

27. Victoria Bridge Incident • Prototype of new Top Chord Anchor

28. Victoria Bridge Incident • Exploded View of Top Chord Anchor prototype

29. Victoria Bridge Incident • Load Testing the prototype Top Chord Anchor

30. Victoria Bridge Incident • Set up Scaffolding Training Committee - March 03, 2005 • Did up Request for Proposal [RFP] • Reviewed proposals • Awarded to New Heights Enterprises

31. Victoria Bridge Incident • Training started in Sydney on July 05, 2005 • 40 hours of training - classroom & hands-on • Sessions: Eastern - 4 Northern -1 Central - 1 Western - 3 • Training completed September 30, 2005

32. Victoria Bridge Incident • New Clamp Prototype • On-Site Practical Training

33. Victoria Bridge Incident • Supervisors took the same training as crew • Hands-on experience

34. Victoria Bridge Incident • Simulated on-site conditions

35. Victoria Bridge Incident • Installation of Top Chord Anchors as part of training • Use of ladders as part of training

36. Victoria Bridge Incident • All trainees were hoisted in their harnesses • Allowed for practical experience in controlled conditions

37. Victoria Bridge Incident • Practical training in Rescue Operations

38. Victoria Bridge Incident • All trainees went through being rescued

39. Victoria Bridge Incident • Training done in 2005 identified additional issues • Third committee formed - January 06, 2006 • Meetings held and report forwarded on October 10, 2006

40. Victoria Bridge Incident • Additional changes since the Incident: • Created new Bridge Maintenance Engineer to provide technical coordination of the District Bridge Engineers • Changed reporting structure for District Bridge Engineers who now report to the District Director • Clarified District and Head Office roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for bridge maintenance training, supervision, equipment and techniques

41. Victoria Bridge Incident • Next Steps: • Bridge Engineers and Supervisors to develop SWP’s and JP’s as needed • Review, do trials, approve new equipment and procedures

42. Victoria Bridge Incident Questions ?

43. Victoria Bridge Incident Thank You !&Be Safe !