Death of worker at Grande Prairie lumber mill under investigation
Weyerhaeuser employee died after being struck by an object, province says
The death of a man who was injured on the job at a Grande Prairie lumber mill on Saturday remains under investigation.
The worker was an employee of the Weyerhaeuser Grande Prairie lumber mill, about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton by road.
Investigators say he died after being struck by an object.
In a statement Wednesday, Ken McQuaig, the mill's manager, said the man was a valued member of the mill's team.
"This tragedy is felt deeply throughout our organization," McQuaig said. "Our thoughts are with his family, and we're providing as much support to them as we can.
"We have encouraged everyone on our team to take time to be with their families and care for themselves and one another, and we're thankful for all of the support from our community during this challenging time."
A spokesperson for the province's ministry of labour and immigration confirmed in an email that the worker's death was reported to Occupational Health and Safety on Saturday.
A stop-work order and a compliance order have been issued to the mill in relation to the incident, the province said.
"Both orders will remain in place until they are complied with. As this is an active investigation, no further information will be provided."
McQuaig said the company is co-operating with investigators and is conducting an internal safety review of the incident.
The mill was shut down for initial investigations and is in the process of coming back online, McQuaig said.
Weyerhaeuser manages eight sawmills across the western U.S. and Canada.
Neither the company or the province would provide additional details on the worker's death, citing the ongoing investigation.