A 47 year old man was killed in a workplace accident shortly after 2am Wednesday morning at Les Emballages Knowlton (LEK),the local enterprise known to many as Knowlton Packaging. According to Marie-France Rouiller of the CNESST, Quebec’s workplace health and safety board, preliminary investigation at the scene suggests that the victim was crushed beneath a 1,200kg reservoir after making a wrong turn with a forklift.
Rouiller said that three CNESST investigators were dispatched to the scene of the accident to better determine the factors that led to the death, adding that they will be working alongside investigators from the Sûreté du Québec.
Nicholas Whitley, CEO and P of the Knowlton Development Corporation, of which LEK is a subsidiary, said that the company is cooperating fully with both investigating agencies.
“Our focus right now is on being respectful and supportive of the immediate family and obviously the employees within Knowlton,” Whitley said. “The KDC team here are working collaboratively with the CSST and SQ in terms of conducting the investigation.”
The CEO underlined the fact that it is still too early to say exactly what happened, although he contextualized the accident by saying that LEK operates 24 hours a day and has a night crew of about 100 people. The accident took place in the facility’s warehouse.
“Obviously we’re still in early stages of the investigation” Whitley said. “The investigation will be thorough and will provide us with clarity as to what exactly transpired.”
