Suncor Employee Killed by Bear

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

Question for anyone that knows...do the sites have security fence around the perimeters? Ie: 6 foot chain link with 3 barbs on top? I can't see a bear getting through or over one of them

Minimal fencing in certain areas but are mostly to keep people out.
Most sites are miles wide in all directions.
Look online at some areal shots.

[srp71]

I don't want to cause any disrespect on this page but there is a vile and discussing page started on FB under her name.I have been trying to get it taken down but have now been banned and blocked from it. Can anyone on here that knows her family maybe let them know and maybe they can have something done.or if enough people report it they may do something.my first attempt was removed within minutes but it has been hours now and FB isn't doing anything about it.If this is inappropriate please remove it.I apologise for havering to do this this way but I am at a dead end there and the family does not need to inadvertently stumble on it.

[pikeslayer22]

Originally Posted by Luxor

Minimal fencing in certain areas but are mostly to keep people out.
Most sites are miles wide in all directions.
Look online at some areal shots.

The cost of doing business in remote locations...can't put a price tag on safety they say.

[The Elkster]

There is always a limit regardless of feelings. What would the cost be of mandating that every company have a contingency for every 1 in a million plus event be? Keep in mind the consumer, as the original source of funds(limited funds I might add), always pay in the end. There is a limit to the safety we can maintain whilst still operating a sustainable system.

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

The cost of doing business in remote locations...can't put a price tag on safety they say.

so they say

[pikeslayer22]

I can see your point Elkster....but reading over the posts in this thread it would seem that the bear's on most of these sites are common place...so I would guess that the odds for this happening again are far from 1 in a million

[qwert]

Originally Posted by pikeslayer22

Question for anyone that knows...do the sites have security fence around the perimeters? Ie: 6 foot chain link with 3 barbs on top? I can't see a bear getting through or over one of them

The camps are fenced as described, most also have controlled access that requires scanning ID to enter or leave. We question if they are to keep the wildlife out or in. The mine sites have similar access control, but most are not completely fenced. The open pit mines are a moonscape and support little wildlife other than that which lives under the lunchrooms, but the SAGD sites do not disturb the surface nearly as much and all forms of wildlife are common and seem to be able to co-exist. The areas with the most problems are the new mine areas where the prior residents are in the process of losing their habitat.

[qwert]

Whether FG's comment (#66) was intentionally provocative or insensitive is open to speculation, but I would hope that a complete investigation will look at all the contributing factors including very possible poor garbage management near this lunchroom and habituation of both the wildlife and the workers. While feeding of wildlife is actively discouraged, the practice does occur and too often results in the death of the wildlife. I do not know if this unfortunate woman was involved or knowing of feeding leading to habituation, but she and her family may be victims of the consequence. RIP.

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Do the labor laws not apply to Cabelas, or Wholesale Sports, or the Wild West indoor range? Obviously, those work places have firearms present.

Yes but that is in a different context. That's the nature of their business,they're all locked up, not loaded and what ever. Not saying that's right cause I never looked it up myself, just going by what the safety dude was telling me. And believe me we argued. All my vehicles are company vehicles - so how would I go hunting in the fall?
The thinking is: the employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace and having guns around (I know, I know) makes it theoretically unsafe. Because you just never know when someone is going to go postal and bring an AK to the lunch room. I realize that this doesn't really work because the loose cannon will just go home and get his/her favorite weapon of mass destruction and go back but ..... somehow the logic is that it won't happen. It makes one wonder how all those liberals breathe with their heads in the sand or where ever...

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by PartTimeHunter

Yes but that is in a different context. That's the nature of their business,they're all locked up, not loaded and what ever. Not saying that's right cause I never looked it up myself, just going by what the safety dude was telling me. And believe me we argued. All my vehicles are company vehicles - so how would I go hunting in the fall?
The thinking is: the employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace and having guns around (I know, I know) makes it theoretically unsafe. Because you just never know when someone is going to go postal and bring an AK to the lunch room. I realize that this doesn't really work because the loose cannon will just go home and get his/her favorite weapon of mass destruction and go back but ..... somehow the logic is that it won't happen. It makes one wonder how all those liberals breathe with their heads in the sand or where ever...

At the Wild West indoor range, they make a living out of handing over firearms to strangers to load and shoot on the premises. If there was ever the opportunity for someone to go postal, that is certainly it.

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by srp71

I don't want to cause any disrespect on this page but there is a vile and discussing page started on FB under her name.I have been trying to get it taken down but have now been banned and blocked from it. Can anyone on here that knows her family maybe let them know and maybe they can have something done.or if enough people report it they may do something.my first attempt was removed within minutes but it has been hours now and FB isn't doing anything about it.If this is inappropriate please remove it.I apologise for havering to do this this way but I am at a dead end there and the family does not need to inadvertently stumble on it.

I'm not on FB but this sounds like a true form of lowlife behaviour.
I can only hope the FB management team acts on it ASAP!!!!!

[casual observer]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

You Sir are both an imbecile and a vile excuse for a human.

Well said and don't think you are alone in the thought. The mods here have taken out some trash recently though it seems this parcel was forgotten. The likes of Pesky and company are a scourge to the idea of this forum and this one is too. The sooner it is gone the better off this place will be.

I wonder how many of the good solid contributors that walked away from here did so because they were tired of this kind of garbage from these kinds of members?

[1899b]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

At the Wild West indoor range, they make a living out of handing over firearms to strangers to load and shoot on the premises. If there was ever the opportunity for someone to go postal, that is certainly it.

This has happened. However the incidents were where the person went postal on themselves in front of staff and customers.....

[Kauna]

Originally Posted by Luxor

I'm going to have to take your side on this one.
I just read gunner's comment and was floored with disbelief that such a comment could even be uttered. Pretty immature and callus to say the least.
These camps are in wilderness area's and just saw on the news that the young lady got attacked after she came out of the washroom. The bear was very aggressive and did not respond to any form's of defense by other's.

Gunner you owe the family an apology and a very expensive flower arrangement before lightening strikes.

You right .. remember gunner is an IMPORT...

[Bergerboy]

Electric bear fence around locations.

[toomanyhobbies]

When I worked in Alaska, there were lots of security guys around with shotguns.

I agree there's no reason to carry on the jobsite unless you are working alone in a remote area, but guns need to be accessible to trained personnel at every wilderness facility, exactly for situations like this. Government scientists in the wilderness (Geological Survey) were issued revolvers and shotguns back in the 80's when I worked for Energy, Mines & Resources.

Your safety guy's "going postal" analogy is bull****. Again it's liberal feel-good, making rules that the criminals don't follow.

Originally Posted by PartTimeHunter

Yes but that is in a different context. That's the nature of their business,they're all locked up, not loaded and what ever. Not saying that's right cause I never looked it up myself, just going by what the safety dude was telling me. And believe me we argued. All my vehicles are company vehicles - so how would I go hunting in the fall?
The thinking is: the employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace and having guns around (I know, I know) makes it theoretically unsafe. Because you just never know when someone is going to go postal and bring an AK to the lunch room. I realize that this doesn't really work because the loose cannon will just go home and get his/her favorite weapon of mass destruction and go back but ..... somehow the logic is that it won't happen. It makes one wonder how all those liberals breathe with their heads in the sand or where ever...

[roper1]

I know a guy that works Horn River. ( NE BC ) Electric fence around all sites seems to be working.

[wasteland.soldier]

Originally Posted by toomanyhobbies

Your safety guy's "going postal" analogy is bull****. Again it's liberal feel-good, making rules that the criminals don't follow.

When surrounded by heavy equipment and hydrocarbon containing pressure vessels, a sicko would hardly need a firearm if their burning desire was to kill a bunch of people.

[Stinky Buffalo]

What a terrible tragedy - Condolences to the family and friends of this young woman. May she rest in peace.

[Snm]

Its a shame that the work facility did not have the proper means of protection for their employees. I would have assumed an axe would have been available over a shovel? might **** it off and change its focus.

Or..... and nice 300 winmag would have dropped it.

Such a tragic end.

[MrDave]

This has to be one of the worst way of going. You go to work and have to watch out for every idiot on the crew. In a location like this, a bear should be conditioned th avoid humans, but due to no one hunting the immediate area.
If the wildlife knows that humans mean death, they stay away. Intruding into their lands means our paths are going to cross. Keep the wildlife wild was the best thing.
Condolences to the family, this is a sad event. Hopefully people learn to be better prepared.

Keep your eyes open and head up, it doesn't just apply to hockey.. Seems like people are forgetting who the land users used to be. If there are that many people around, that bear was picking its meal.

And yes Fish and Wildlife has had to go back and try again.

[winmag]

time for all the oil companies to hire some pros to discretely take the bears out [ live trap or lethal ] or force them out with some Karelian dogs like they do in the parks... the logistics envoved the big guys can figure that out i am sure The bears were there first but the oil is gonna stay, sorry the bears gotta go... cannot believe management would tolerate ANY black bears in a large facility ,a confrontation was bound to happen .... same as i will not tolerate a bear in camp he will be dead end of story ... the only part of a normal bear you should see is the ass end heading south .. again sorry for the tragic death of the woman and the lose to her family .

[CaberTosser]

I agree that some negative behavior reinforcement for the bears would likely result in them avoiding the areas. Some patrol fellows with bear dogs are exactly what I was also thinking of as a deterrent. I'm presently up at a Suncor site, but not the one where that incident occurred. Its a rare event to be certain, but now its in the statistics and as such it has to have control measures brought in/ modified/ tightened up, etc.