A worker is missing at the Catalyst mill in Crofton and investigators suspect he may have fallen into a storage silo.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP received a call from workers at the mill Tuesday night saying a truck driver delivering woodchips was missing and may have been involved in an accident, said Cpl. Jon Stuart.
Mounties found evidence that the driver may have been caught by a conveyor belt and carried into a storage silo. The man has not been found and mill workers are searching the massive silo.
“It’s a very complicated operation because there’s a lot of hazards when conducting the search,” said WorkSafe B.C. spokesman Scott McCloy.
The family of the driver has been notified. His name and age have not been released.
WorkSafe B.C. inspectors were notified and arrived at the scene Tuesday night and remained on the scene Wednesday.
The mill is shut down because of the search and investigation.
“We’ve made support available to our employees through our employee and family assistance program,” said Eduarda Hodgins, director of organization development and communications for Catalyst Paper. “And workers are working with investigators from WorkSafe B.C. to support and enable the investigation.”
Bobell Express Ltd., the transport company that employed the driver, is also investigating.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends and co-workers at this time,” said Dag Waddell, general manager of Marpole Transport, which works with Bobell.
Waddell said he can’t comment any further because it’s an ongoing investigation.
WorkSafe B.C. and the B.C. Coroners Service are also investigating another workplace accident after a man died while heli-logging near Tahsis on Sunday.
David Thompson Kennedy, 47, was tree falling when he was critically injured. He was rushed to Campbell River and District Hospital by helicopter and ambulance, but could not be resuscitated.
Kennedy is from Coldstream, in the north Okanagan.
