An employee under the age of 14 at Village Vacances Valcartier suffered serious head and upper body injuries on June 4 when he fell from the back of an adjacent vehicle before being hit and crushed by a trailer, an incident that the CNESST first became aware of informed three days later.
CNESST released its investigative report this morning, days after Labor Secretary Jean Boulet expressed his intention to better regulate the work of young people aged 14 and under.
Credit Martin Lavoie/JdeQ
One of the investigators first explained the context of the accident that occurred at the Village Vacances Valcartier campsite.
“There were four workers per quad, two in the front seat and two in the cargo box. At around 11:45 a.m., on the way to the canteen, one of the workers in the box fell to the ground in a 90° turn and was hit by the trailer attached behind it,” explains Vincent Gagné.
Photo provided by CNESST
The quad on which the accident occurred. This is work side by side, not leisure, the speed of which is limited by the manufacturer to 40 km/h.
The written CNESST report also mentions that the trailer “run over” the young employee.
CNESST
The trailer that was attached to the UTV.
“The box of the quad is not a place designated for the carriage of a passenger, which is against the law. The positioning of the worker is the first cause of accidents. The second is the lack of training and mentoring for young and new workers. The latter are not aware of the security measures related to the safety of a quad,” added inspector Joël Ménard.
young and new
Of the village’s 800 workers during the summer season, 500 are under the age of 18, inspectors found. Of the camp’s 14 field workers, 13 were new and 10 were under the age of 18.
“The training in the Village works mainly through mentoring. There was also a training day on May 14th. The driver and the injured worker were present. But there was no specific training on how to use the quad, and the employer had no procedure in place. All workers were authorized to drive the vehicles,” specified Mr. Ménard.
However, the law requires that a driver for this type of machine is at least 18 years old and has a driver’s license.
Mr Ménard added that the front seat belts are under the seat, that no helmet is available and that the employer has not given any instructions in this regard.
When team leaders were responsible for enforcing safety rules, “many climbed into the loading boxes themselves,” Mr. Ménard observed.
Without a written agreement
CNESST found that one hundred young people under the age of 14 were working without a parent’s written consent, which is required by law. Sufficient evidence has been gathered to confirm 23 related statements made by Village Vacances Valcartier.
The recreation center also received two workplace health and safety reports, one because the worker was not seated in a designated seat in the vehicle, the other because the village failed to notify CNESST within the 24-hour time limit provided by law.
CNESST learned of the accident on June 7 through the hospital center where the young man was being treated.
In particular, CNESST asked the employer to establish a means of monitoring safety regulations and a process for safe driving training.
answers
Village Vacances Valcartier issued a brief written statement saying it would give the report “due attention”.
“The health and safety of our employees and our visitors remains a priority and we intend to continue to give it the necessary importance,” the company added.
The fines
- Rule: 14 years in the profession without authorization (23x from *600 to $1200)
- Rule: Compromise Security (1x from *1818 to $3,632)
- Rule: Failure to notify CNESST within 24 hours (1x from *18,157 to $72,637)
Total: $33,775 to $103,869
*For a 1st offense
Source: CNESST
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