The CNESST made public the conclusions of its investigation into the accident which cost the life of a person employed by a drilling company, on October 22, 2023, in Saint-Janvier-de-Joly in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.
On the evening of the accident, three people from the drilling company were working on cleaning the roadway on Highway 20, eastbound, following a road accident that occurred around 5:30 p.m. involving a truck transporting a drill. of the company.
The piece of machinery fell and became entangled in the guardrail on the right side of the road, complicating the work of the tugs.
Later in the evening, traffic management was ensured by a worker from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD). The latter had positioned his signal van so as to close the two lanes of eastbound traffic so that the cleaning and towing operation could be carried out.
However, the shoulder had not been blocked and a motorist rushed onto it, hitting one of the employees of the drilling company who was returning to his pick-up van at the edge of the shoulder.
Emergency services were called, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.
On a CNESST reconstruction animation provided to the media, we clearly see that the motorist clearly saw the warning lights of the MTMD van since he made a detour to the right to slip between this vehicle and the red pick-up truck parked on the side of the road.
The CNESST identified the following causes to explain the accident: the signaling applied to close the two lanes of Highway 20, eastbound, left the right shoulder free of access even though workers were present there; and the poor management of traffic control during the towing intervention exposed the workers to the danger of collision.
More training needed
The CNESST required the MTMD to define the limits of an emergency intervention and put in place a procedure related to the safe control of traffic in connection with any emergency intervention, that is to say, additional assistance mechanisms, means of communication, limits of the supervisor’s actions during waiting and other signals to be applied as the situation evolves. He was also asked to train workers on this procedure.
“The MTMD has made corrections resulting in certain updates to their practices and their provincial standards. These are currently being modified,” specifies the CNESST in a press release.
The conclusions of the investigation will be sent to the Association of Roadside Repair Professionals of Quebec (APDQ) so that their members are informed. The investigation report will be distributed to joint sectoral associations as well as to managers of mutual prevention societies.
In addition, the CNESST will transmit the conclusions of its investigation to the SAAQ as part of its work with the Exchange Table on the use of warning lights.
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