An electrician with Qulliq Energy Corp. died Friday in a workplace incident in Naujaat, Nunavut, the company has confirmed.
A crew from the utility was in the hamlet performing generator repairs last week.
“QEC is deeply saddened to confirm that a tragic workplace incident occurred at one of our facilities in Naujaat on Friday, July 5, that resulted in the death of one of our electricians,” the company said in a statement sent to Nunatsiaq News.
“Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends and our colleagues affected by this terrible loss.”
The company provided no further details regarding the incident or the employee who was killed, citing an ongoing investigation and respect for the family’s privacy.
Employee safety is its “top priority,” QEC said.
“The corporation is investigating and actively working with authorities to understand the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.
“We are committed to providing ongoing support to the family during this difficult time and are offering counselling services to all our employees.”
Maggie Collins, communications manager with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, confirmed it is investigating. Under Nunavut’s Safety Act, employers must report accidents resulting in death or bodily injury to the commission.
On Friday, the commission “did receive notification of a workplace fatality, and an investigation is underway,” she said in an email.
“No further information is available at this time.”
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. George Henrie said the police service is aware of the incident but is not investigating.
Daniel Kinsella, executive director of the Nunavut Employees Union, said he wasn’t certain of the identity of the worker who was killed but believes it was a union member. The union represents about 160 workers at QEC.
He called on QEC to be transparent about what happened.
“I definitely appreciate there’s a concern about the family, and we think we know the family, but at the same time if people don’t know about workplace accidents then they take a little bit less care for preventing them,” Kinsella said in an interview.
“We think the word should be out there in some respectful, helpful way, and like I say, we want to make sure that their investigation is done properly and appropriately.”
By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
