Trans Mountain has enacted a voluntary Project-wide safety stand down that will see all Project construction temporarily suspended effective December 18, 2020, to January 4, 2021.

“Our top priorities remain the safety of our workers and maintaining a safe work environment as we continue to work towards the successful completion of this critical Canadian Project. Over the past two months, we have seen safety incidents at our worksites that are unacceptable to Trans Mountain. This is inconsistent with Trans Mountain’s proud safety culture,” says Ian Anderson, President and CEO of Trans Mountain.

“Trans Mountain is proactively taking the step to temporarily stand down construction on the Expansion Project to review, reset and refocus our efforts, and those of our contractors and their workers. We are committed to a strong culture of safety above all else and insist that our Project contractors and subcontractors are equally committed. The critical success of any organization is its ability to self-reflect – to honestly and courageously ask the question, ‘where can we improve?’. This is non-negotiable, we must improve the safety culture and performance on our Project.

” A safety stand down will provide an opportunity for Trans Mountain to engage with its contractors, their staff and Trans Mountain’s employees. Trans Mountain remains diligently focused on the safety of our people and our contractors. We will dedicate this time to ensure all safety management systems are in place, including COVID-19 protocols, to ensure everyone returns to work safely.

Throughout 2020, the Trans Mountain Expansion Project teams have successfully worked in multiple construction areas across Alberta and British Columbia, completing approximately 20 per cent of the Project. Next year, 2021, will see peak construction for the Project, with thousands of people working in hundreds of sites across Alberta and British Columbia. It is during this time when one of the greatest risks to the Project becomes worker safety.