CNESST final report on Grande Roue death of Riley Valcin

The Quebec worker’s safety board (CNESST) released the results of a full and final investigation into the Grande Roue Christmas Day death of 22-year-old Riley Valcin on Thursday. It showed the young worker died, trapped and dragged, while removing snow by hand as the wheels were turning – a work method deemed dangerous and improvised, according to the CNESST report.

The investigation pinpoints two main causes of the accident:

• The danger zone created by the motorized wheel and the transmission plate was accessible to the worker
• Safety measures were lacking, forcing workers to improvise working methods that were dangerous in order to remove snow from the motorized wheels of the Grande Roue

During the accident, a piece of Valcin’s clothing was caught in one of the Ferris wheel’s gears, with the operator unaware at the time that Valcin was busy de-icing the ride. The young man was dragged and then trapped between a motorized wheel and the metal frame of the Ferris wheel, which caused fatal injuries to his forehead and stomach.

Following the accident, the CNESST forbade access to the raised platforms of the motor until measures were put in place to ensure that the danger zones would be inaccessible to workers.

In order to avoid future accidents involving moving pieces, the report concludes that management needs to ensure that the danger zones are identified clearly and implement the necessary measures, like installing permanent protectors that separate workers from said danger zone.

Permanent protectors need to be routinely verified to ensure they remain in good condition and be replaced when they are found lacking.

Workers need to be better informed of the risks involved when undertaking work to maintain, repair, or remove snow from the mechanized wheels and they need to be better trained and monitored to avoid further accidents.

“I read part of [the report], I was sad that the accident that happened to my younger brother could have been I would say prevented if the necessary measures were put in place to protect the employees,” said Joey Valcin.

“I’d like to encourage the employees to learn about their rights to make sure that when they apply to a job, they make sure that their safety is a priority of the employer. And also, I would like the employer to put all the measures in place to protect their employees, because my younger brother has now passed away, but I’m sure that there’s somebody else now taking his place,” said Valcin. “But I cannot get my brother back. So mistakes like this cannot happen again. Employees need to be protected by employers. And I know that the CNESST are doing their best to make sure this does not happen again. I hope that better measures are put in place to protect employees.”

CNESST report death of worker from La Grande Roue de Montreal on Scribd

La Grande Roue de Montréal said in a statement that they have taken note of the final report.

“This is a tragic and unfortunate accident, and we are deeply sorry and saddened,” said Lawrence Esso, spokesperson for the Ferris Wheel.

They say the company cooperated fully with CNESST inspectors throughout the investigation into Valcin’s death and that all major corrective measures requested have been implemented.

“In order to ensure the safety of our employees and the public, we immediately took action to respond to the CNESST’s requests by adding additional safety measures,” said Esso.

In effort to raise its standards, La Grande Roue de Montréal has committed to going beyond the CNESST recommendations, notably by improving the training procedure for all candidates for the position of operator, which today is significantly more thorough than at the time of the accident. In addition, the company will be accompanied by an independent consulting firm to benefit from objective expertise and ensure ongoing best practices when it comes to health and safety on site.

 

• Riley Valcin awarded a posthumous Quebec National Assembly medal
• Family wants to keep Riley Valcin’s memory alive after Grande Roue reopens
• Man who died on Christmas Day ferris wheel accident remembered as driven, loving friend

 

Investigation launched

Several visits made by CNESST investigators in the months that followed the death revealed numerous breaches of the Act respecting occupational health and safety on the site of the big Ferris wheel at the Old Port at the time of the tragedy.

Previous reports highlighted the ineffectiveness of many of the safety features already in place at the time of the accident.

Operators had never read the ride’s operation and maintenance manual, and the only copy that existed at the administrative office was in English.

The investigation also found that the employer had failed to adequately inform workers of the risks associated with their work and did not provide them with the appropriate education, training and supervision to ensure that workers have the skills and the knowledge required to safely perform their work.

Thursday’s publication of a final report from the CNESST will bring the investigation to an end.

Montréal | RAPPORT D’ENQUÊTE : Conclusions sur l’accident du travail ayant coûté la vie à un employé à La Grande Roue de Montréal inc. Il a été entraîné et s’est retrouvé coincé mortellement dans la zone dangereuse du manège. ????https://t.co/fI6nVI38bk pic.twitter.com/1xDnJX600r

— CNESST (@CNESST) June 9, 2022

Mourning a brother

In the meantime, a family remains in mourning.

Riley was as a civil engineering student at Polytechnique – his  Joey Valcin, Riley’s older brother remembers him as a driven, charismatic and loving man who was always ready to help others and lift people’s spirits.

“I remember that the last moment we shared, he came to see me in the stairs and touch my head. It was his way of saying, ‘I love you’,” said Joey to CityNews in May.

“He was a loving person and he’ll never be replaced.”