VANCOUVER -- A Canadian National Railway worker died during a workplace incident near Prince Rupert, B.C., Monday, a union representing rail workers has confirmed
In an emailed statement sent to CTV News Vancouver, Teamsters Canada said a "conductor was fatally injured…while working."
"On behalf of Canada's over 125,000 Teamster members, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to our fallen brother's loved ones and colleagues," said the national president of Teamsters Canada, François Laporte, in a statement.
"Incidents like these are never acceptable. Every accident, every fatality is preventable."
The incident happened in Port Edward, which is about 20 kilometres south of Prince Rupert. Local RCMP confirmed it was assisting with the investigation, but no criminality was suspected.
In an email sent to CN Railway staff and obtained by CTV News Vancouver, the victim was 37-year-old Daniel Paulusse. According the email, Paulusse had started working for the rail company as a conductor in March 2018.
The letter, which expresses condolences to the victim's family, says Paulusse was "positive, outgoing and friendly."
"Losing a member of the CN family is devastating to us all. While we may talk about and truly believe in safety, making it a core value implies action and commitment," the email says. "It is only with this dedication that we will honour our fallen colleagues."
This is the second workplace incident this month that, while a CN Railway employee was performing "switching operations," led to a death.
Switching operations consist of activities like marshalling trains or storing cars, Teamsters Canada explained.
In the early hours of June 1, an incident killed 31-year-old Jasvinder Riar at the Thornton Yard in Surrey.
That incident is under investigation by Surrey RCMP, WorkSafeBC, Technical Safety BC and the BC Coroner Service. A member of Riar's family says they still haven't been told how he died.
