Worker injured at Evraz, fourth since February

An Evraz Steel worker was sent to hospital after yet another incident at the Regina plant.

In an emailed statement, the company said there was a mechanical issue with a water pipe in the melt shop on Monday afternoon. The incident happened during the steel-making process resulting in a sudden release of steam.

One employee remains in hospital, while a second worker was evaluated before being released.

Evraz is investigating the cause and circumstances surrounding the mechanical failure. It’s also doing a review to determine any steps that can be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening again. This is the fourth injury at Evraz since February.

When CEO Conrad Winkler was in Regina in March for a funding announcement, he told reporters he directed management to work with supervisors, workers and the union to figure out what needs to change to work toward a goal of zero injuries.

When asked on Tuesday if that process has started, United Steelworkers Local 5890 president Mike Day said the union is never really privy to management discussions.

“Things looked like they were starting (and that) we might be trending in a better direction,” said Day, “and then you get yesterday’s incident.

“We all want it to get better, that’s for sure, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get there.”