Worker's clothing was sprayed with hot oil during ‘uncontrolled flow of oil’
Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd. has been ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $182,282.38 after a worker was sprayed with hot heavy fuel oil at its refinery site in Prince George, B.C., according to WorkSafeBC.
The Calgary-based natural gas and midstream company was penalised following a “high-risk violation” that occurred on November 5, 2025, at its Pulpmill Road facility in Prince George. WorkSafeBC says it attended the workplace “in response to an incident” during maintenance work on a heavy fuel oil line, where “there was an uncontrolled flow of oil, and a worker's clothing was sprayed with hot oil.”
The penalty was imposed on February 24, 2026, and applies to the firm’s operations in the manufacturing sector under the Oil Refining or Recycling classification unit. WorkSafeBC’s penalty summary was updated as of the same date.
Details of the incident
According to an inspection report provided by WorkSafeBC, the incident occurred while a worker was attempting to clear a blockage in a heavy fuel oil line. The report states that heavy fuel oil at the facility is stored at 125 C to prevent it from cooling and solidifying into an “asphalt like material.”
To clear blockages, pressurised steam is used, with workers alternating between applying steam, shutting it off, and then using a screwdriver to scrape material from an opening in the line, according to the report. With some of the accumulated material removed, product began to flow through the opening.
WorkSafeBC’s documentation indicates that heavy fuel oil then sprayed from the opening, and the worker was splashed with hot oil when they attempted to stop the flow by closing a valve after the heated oil began to discharge uncontrollably.
Safety procedure failures identified by WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC’s investigation determined that “the firm's safe work procedures for the method used to clear the blockage had not been followed.” The regulator found that the task proceeded without several fundamental controls in place.
According to the penalty notice, “no hazard assessment had been completed, no hot work permit had been issued, no standby person with emergency equipment had been in place, and workers had not worn the required personal protective equipment.”
WorkSafeBC concluded that the firm failed to ensure hazards were effectively controlled before allowing work to be performed on machinery that had been shut down for maintenance.
The violation was classified by WorkSafeBC as a high-risk contravention under its enforcement framework. The case highlights regulatory expectations around integrating hazard assessment, permitting, emergency preparedness and personal protective equipment into routine maintenance and blockage-clearing activities in high-temperature process environments.
WorkSafeBC says Tidewater is complying with orders related to the incident, including providing copies of work procedures and documentation of corrective actions. According to the regulator’s report, “the employer has provided documentation that outlines the actions being undertaken to guide employer and employee accountability and address the identified gaps within their health and safety management system.”
