Disagreement persists decade after worker dies in oilsands accident

An inquiry into the death of a Chinese foreign worker at a northernAlberta work site a decade ago is still sparking disagreement over whether the man should have been transported to hospital by air.

Genbao Ge and another worker werekilled in a 2007incident at a Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. work siteafter a storage tank collapsed and they werecrushed by the falling steel.

CNRLfaced 29 charges for the incident, all of which were stayed or postponed.

SinopecShanghai Engineering Ltd. faced 21 charges which were withdrawn, while its subsidiary, SSECCanada, faced three charges and was forced to pay $1.5 million in fines.

The fatality inquiry addressed whether Ge shouldhave been airlifted to hospital rather than taken by ground ambulance.

Judge J.R. Jacques will submit a report into Ge's deathover the next few months and may offer recommendations.

• Fatality inquiry into death of Chinese worker at CNRL site slammed by labour group
• Energy giant CNRL derails full public inquiry into foreign workers' deaths

Dr.BernardBannach, an assistant to the chief medical examiner, told the courtroom Friday that Ge suffered scalp lacerations but he died from a severe chest injury and not a brain injury.

ButCNRL'smedical director, Dr. JohanBouwer, told the courtroom Ge indeed had brain injuries and the air pressure change of flying in a helicopter would have had an adverse effect on him.

Ge 'definitely had a brain injury': CNRL

Bannachsaid the chest injury caused what's called a tension pneumothorax causingair to collectbetween a person's lung and chest wall.

"This is perhaps the largestpneumothoraxI have ever seen in my career,"Bannachsaid.

But Bouwer said the autopsy reports were inconsistent with what he saw in patient transportation documents.

"This guy definitely had a brain injury,"Bouwersaid. "IfI am wrong, I am in the wrong job."

Bouwer testifiedGe'shead injuries were so severe that liquid was oozing from the patient's ears and Ge was not conscious whileen route to the hospital.

HesaidCNRLhad its own ground abmulance and limited air ambulance capabilities at the time.

Bannachsaid an intubation treatment that was only available at the hospital would have relieved the buildup of air in Ge's chest.

He stopped short of saying air transportation would have savedGe'slife, but the assistant medical examiner said the faster the patient gets to the hospital in such cases, the better.

Bouwertold the inquiry the ground transportation is the usually quickest way to get workers to the hospital from the Horizon site.

Air used in rare circumstances

Bouwer said CNRL only used air transportation in rare circumstances, such as when the road out of the site is blocked, or if therearemultiple casualties.

He said he was concerned that transporting Ge by air would be unsafe due to changes inair pressureat high altitudes. However, testimony from the inquiry's last witness, Phoenix Heli-Flight president Paul Spring,questioned that thinking.

Spring, the head of Wood Buffalo's air ambulance service then, saidhelicopters can fly at lower altitudes when requested.

Alberta Health Services now manages ambulance service in Fort McMurray and the wider region, but at the time of the accidentthe Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalowas in charge.

Brad Grainger, deputy chief of emergency services for Wood Buffalo, told the inquiry his department got a call for help around 2:30 p.m. on April 27, 2007.

The department dispatched several ambulances and fire trucks but no helicopter. CNRL confirmed earlier that onewasn't requested.

AHS, municipality await report

In email statements, both AHS and the Wood Buffalo municipality said theywouldreview any recommendations the falality inquiry report makes.

"This was a horrific incident that had a devastating impact on the families and friends of the two workers who died and the five others who were injured," said Alberta Labour spokespersonMatt Dykstrain an email statement Friday.

CNRL declined to comment.

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