Photo by Vince Fedoroff
NO SAFE ACCESS – The workers' compensation board has identified safety issues at the city's new water fill station just a couple of months after it opened.
New water station has safety issues
Just a couple of months after the city's new $10.9-million Public Safety Building – with its new water fill station – officially opened, workers' compensation board safety officers are looking at safety concerns.
Just a couple of months after the city's new $10.9-million Public Safety Building – with its new water fill station – officially opened, workers' compensation board safety officers are looking at safety concerns.
"There isn't a safe means of access (for the fill station),” Kirk Dieckmann, the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board director of occupational health and safety, said in an interview this morning.
On Friday, safety officers responded to a report from a person concerned about how trucks were being filled.
At the station, they found drivers climbing up on top of their trucks (where the opening hatch is) to fill them, most with no restraining device.
Unlike the old station next door at the old fire hall, the new one doesn't have stairs with guardrails for drivers to use to fill their trucks.
"It causes a serious slipping hazard,” Dieckmann said.
When officials meet tomorrow, he said, they will look at possible solutions for a safer access and potential restrictions that could be put in place until that solution is reached.
In the meantime, the station is remaining open, though city staff have been instructed on ways to keep it as safe as possible.
Dieckmann said the meeting was set for tomorrow to give an engineer from Outside who's worked with the city time to get to the territory.
Brian Crist, the city's director of operations, said this morning the main issue is that many of the trucks don't have restraining devices for staff who might have to climb on top of the vehicles to fill them.
Dieckmann confirmed the restraining devices may be one solution to the matter. He also noted there could be a number of others that come up during Tuesday's meeting.
Crist noted there are some smaller trucks where the tank is accessed from the side, and in those cases, there are no major issues with filling up.
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Comments (3)
Up 2 Down 0
Yukon Hootch on Mar 8, 2011 at 6:06 am
The old fill up location was terrible as well. People were using the railings as a ladder/steps. What was worse was the amount of ice left unsanded. I understand there is obviously going to be a lot of spillage but wasn't impressed when I called to complain and was told to call to have them sand it since they don't sand it regularly. Then five days later they finally sanded it after my neighbor complained as well. The following year I watched a man get out of his truck, take one step on the ice only to fall and slide half under his truck.
City of Whitehorse - please maintain this new site!
Up 1 Down 0
Max Mack on Mar 8, 2011 at 4:29 am
Too funny . . . it's called the Public SAFETY Building . . .
Up 0 Down 1
Yukoner Afar on Mar 7, 2011 at 9:19 am
Can someone please explain exactly what cost 10.9 million dollars for this?
My mother who still resides in the territory was part of a school council that built an entire elementary school there not so long ago for less than half that cost!!!!!