Canada’s federal government is looking into a shocking accident at a Vancouver freight terminal as longshore workers prepare to picket.
Daily Hive broke the story of a crane operator who accidentally knocked a shipping container from a tower Friday. The metal box crashed onto the chassis of a transport truck below, narrowly missing the driver waiting in the cab.
Now, Employment and Social Development Canada confirms its Labour Program has reached out to the shipping terminal operator about what happened. When Daily Hive got in touch with Ottawa Monday, the employer hadn’t yet reported the incident.
Federally regulated employers are required to report fatalities and serious injuries within 24 hours of them happening. They have 14 days to report temporary and permanently disabling injuries.
Luckily, no one was seriously hurt when the shipping container got knocked over Friday at Global Container Terminals (GCT) Vanterm.
“The landing impact jolted the cab of the truck, it was not directly hit,” a spokesperson told Daily Hive Friday. “GCT superintendents and safety teams responded immediately, ensuring the driver’s safety; he did not require first aid on site and left the location to return to his depot.”
GCT added its Joint Safety Committee will investigate what happened to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Tom Johnson with the Port Transportation Association, which represents trucking owners, is demanding answers so truck drivers aren’t put in undue danger.
“It’s extremely disturbing to see a video like that. I’m speechless,” he told Daily Hive on Friday. “That driver wouldn’t even know what hit him.”
Johnson is calling for mandatory drug testing and increased supervision and training of longshore workers who work at the terminal and operate machinery, including cranes.
Longshore workers picket after workplace lockout
The accident happened days before a labour dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and BC Maritime Employers Association shut down BC port activity Monday.
The lockout began at 4:30 pm, and longshore workers are picketing in response. They’re calling for retroactively raised wages, improved benefits, and a signing bonus for union members.
Longshore workers make $98,000 before tax and union dues annually on average, according to the BC Labour Market Information Office‘s data from its 2023 Job Bank.