February 16, 2017
A $6.5-billion construction project on Quebec's North Shore has become the first Hydro-Québec workplace to permit union safety specialists to monitor the work on site, reports the CBC.
The monitoring comes as a response to the deaths of four workers since the project began.
The 11-year project on the La Romaine river, now in its eighth year, is the biggest construction project underway in Canada. Four new hydroelectric stations are being built, each with dams and water reservoirs, about 500 kilometres from the Quebec-Labrador border, north of the municipality of Havre-Saint-Pierre (shown in photo: just one of the project work sites).
Since construction got underway in 2009, four workers have died:
- Luc Arpin, 51, when a wall of rocks fell on the excavator he was operating
- Alex-Antoine Proulx, 26, died when he fell two meters onto rocks
- Steve Barriault drowned when his excavator drove over an ice-covered pit filled with water
- Raymond Ste-Marie drowned when his machinery broke through an ice-covered pond
Yves Ouellet, the head of the construction wing of the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ), told the CBC that “we are more than happy that Hydro-Québec took that step for the prevention, but we are very sad that it took four deaths to do it.”
Ouellet said many construction crews have never worked on a site like La Romaine before. “You work with tonnes and tonnes of rock. The weather conditions are very hard. And you are isolated in the woods, in the middle of nowhere.”
The union's prevention counsellors will spend their time touring the construction site, which covers a vast territory. Hydro-Québec has seven of its own safety agents in place, and private contractors have their own advisors. Hydro-Québec has also launched an internal investigation and set up a special committee to analyze safety practices at every worksite.
Find out more about Hydro-Québec's investigation: http://electricalindustry.ca/changing-scenes/2762-death-of-hydro-quebec-worker-prompts-review-of-health-and-safety-practices.
Read the full CBC article: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-construction-fatality-hydro-electric-dam-la-romaine-1.3981913.
When it comes to reliable antimicrobial protection, SteriGuard wiring devices go all in -- storing antimicrobial growth inhibitors directly inside the products themselves. The additives are then gradually released to the surface, providing continuous, long-lasting protection against the growth of bacteria, molds, mildew, and fungi.
OmniCable, headquartered in West Chester, PA, is inviting all electrical distributors located in the Ontario area to its open house event on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, from 10 am – 7 pm.
As data becomes central to new business models in the energy utility sector, the global grid analyticsmarket is expected to accelerate from 
Without power, factory operations cannot continue. That’s why regular scheduled maintenance is important to ensure your electrical distribution system is in working order. A combination of a thermal imager and a clamp meter can help you detect hot spots and diagnose electrical issues at the point of failure before an outage occurs, quickly and safely. Download the Application Spotlight today.
Register for 3M Canada’s upcoming webinar: How TTS™ Heat Trace Cables can help you on site.
FLIR Systems have announced the release of their new FLIR CM94 2000-amp AC/DC electrical utility clamp meter. Designed to tackle high current electrical measurements in demanding utility and industrial job sites, the CM94 features an oversized jaw to easily manage larger conductors and busbars. With CAT IV-1000-volt overvoltage protection, the CM94 works on relays, distribution panels, vaults, switchgears and switchboards, as well as on service conductors, feeders, and production power lines.
The Pluraluce is a revolutionary concept in emergency lighting. The minimalist design is the perfect embodiment of simplicity and style without sacrificing performance. These 10W LED emergency fixtures deliver between 782lm - 919lm. Each Pluraluce comes with the choice of 3 lenses, which are interchangeable. The lenses provide a unique distribution pattern, changing the coverage of the illuminated area of egress.
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/base/copper-d.gif)
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/base/spot-copper-60d.gif)
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/base/spot-copper-6m.gif)
