Union concerned about mounting safety incidents at Algoma Steel
Another incident at Algoma Steel has union officials questioning safety protocols at Sault Ste. Marie’s steel plant.
One person was injured in the most recent slag-related explosion, frustrating those representing workers at the company.
“We are in a crisis mode regarding safety at Algoma Steel,” said Mike Da Prat, president of USW Local 2251.
The latest incident startled many in the Sault this week, with a loud bang alerting many in the city’s west end.
Despite requests to learn more about the steel plant’s string of incidents this year, CTV News was only provided this update yesterday evening from the company:
“At approximately 1:45 p.m., an incident occurred at Algoma’s on-site slag reprocessing area where molten slag, a steel-making by-product, came into contact with residual water from today’s heavy rainfall. The resulting reaction caused a fire in a piece of mobile equipment. One worker was treated on-site for injuries.”
But Da Prat said the company isn’t doing enough to prevent these incidents.
“It used to happen in a controlled way, based on the design of where the slag, etc., was being dumped,” he said.
“And the fact that everybody knew enough to look for the water and to make sure that there was no water around. And then if it was raining hard, some extra precautions were taken. The answer is they're not doing that.”
This week’s incident comes after a February event of the same nature that sent five people to hospital. That’s on top of a number of other incidents in the last year.
“We have had four situations in very close order -- four incidents,” Da Prat said.
“How can anybody say that anything … was rectified or that safety procedures were enhanced or anything of that nature? If it had, we wouldn't be having them. But we are.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Approximately 50 Montreal-area students — the vast majority of them female — were suspended Wednesday after their school deemed the shorts they were wearing were too short. On Thursday, several students staged a walk-out to protest what they believe is a "sexist" dress code that unfairly targets girls.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Tim Meadows pledges not to shave until the Oilers win the cup, who are the team's other famous fans?
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
Luxury beauty brand Clarins to pull out of Hudson's Bay stores in Canada
French luxury makeup and skincare brand Clarins is pulling out of Hudson's Bay stores in Canada.
'It's over': Minister says B.C.'s decision on Surrey police transition upheld in court
The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled in the provincial government's favour on the City of Surrey's legal challenge to its ongoing transition to a municipal police force, according to B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.