Charges laid against Suncor in connection with 2019 incident aboard Terra Nova

Charges have been laid against Suncor Energy following a 2019 incident in which one of its employees fell from a ladder aboard the Terra Nova floating production, storage and offloading vessel.

In a press release Friday, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said Suncor failed to ensure employees entering a confined space followed safety protocols in compliance with its regulatory requirements the day the employee fell, Dec. 29, 2019.

The employee fell from a ladder inside a tank while conducting gas testing on the Terra Nova FPSO. The employee was flown to hospital with what the board called "non-life-threatening injuries."

The boardsaid Suncor failed to comply with various regulations outlined in its Offshore Marine Installations and Structures Occupational Health and Safety Transitional Regulations.

• Employee stable after falling inside tank on Terra Nova FPSO
• Terra Nova oil platform ordered to stop all work in confined spaces

The provincial oil and gas board said Suncor failed to ensure employees entering a confined space wore a properly secured safety harness, and said the company did not ensure employees used proper protection equipment as outlined in its regulations.

The board also said Suncor failed to produce a signed written report that complied with the regulations.

Shortly after the incident in January 2020, the industry regulatorordered Suncor Energy to stop all confined-space work at its Terra Nova oil platform. It was the third restriction issued by the board related to safety aboard the Terra Nova in just over a month.

The board also ordered that all confined-space work policies and procedures be reviewed by Suncor and updated for compliance with regulatory requirements.

The C-NLOPB said the first court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 25 in St. John's provincial court. The board saidit will not be providing further details at this time.

Read more by CBC Newfoundland and Labrador