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Suncor faces charges related to injury of offshore N.L. worker: regulator


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December 19, 2022
By The Canadian Press

Health & Safety newfoundland and labrador Oil and gas SunCor

The sign for Suncor Energy in downtown Calgary. Photo: Jeff Whyte/Adobe Stock

Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil and gas regulator says it has laid charges against Suncor Energy Inc. for alleged offenses related to the injury of a worker on the company’s Terra Nova offshore platform.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board says the charges are related to the injury of a worker on Dec. 29, 2019, who fell from a ladder while conducting gas testing.

The board alleges that Suncor failed to ensure all workers had a properly attached safety harnesses, failed to ensure all employees followed protection equipment rules, and failed to produce a compliant report.

It says the first appearance on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2023 at Provincial Court in St. John’s.

Suncor is already under heightened scrutiny for its safety record after at least 12 workers have died at its oilsands operations in northern Alberta since 2014.

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Former CEO Mark Little pledged earlier this year to address the problem, including with a independent safety review, but he stepped down from the company a day after another Suncor contract worker died in July.

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