Recommendations to improve safety at American Iron and Metal recycling facility.

This is from a jury at a coroner’s inquest into the death of Bruce Lagacé held at the Saint John Law Courts.

He died in November 2021 while working as a truck driver at the Saint John facility.

The inquest found Lagace’s death was the result of an accident.

The five-member jury heard from 13 witnesses and made the following recommendations:

·         On arrival, the receiver should ensure the customer has signed updated procedures and protocols.

·         Safety procedures should be reviewed by a third party periodically and updated when needed.

·         There should be a clear procedure for communicating transfers of duty.

·         The driver should not stay in the vehicle during the off-loading process.

·         The driver should remain in the safe area until the site employee indicates it is safe to return to the vehicle.

·         The cleaning process should be completed in designated cleaning areas.

·         There should be punitive measures for safety infractions.