Ornge reacts to Labour Code charges
Ornge has issued a statement after it received a summons listing 17 charges under the Canadian Labour Code that relate to the fatal crash of one of its S-76 helicopters on 31 May 2013.
Ornge, the provider of rotary and fixed-wing air medical services funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health, has issued a statement after it received a summons listing 17 charges under the Canadian Labour Code that relate to the fatal crash of one of its S-76 helicopters on 31 May 2013 (https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/news/ornge-helicopter-crashes-moosonee). A court document published by broadcaster CBC News details the alleged charges, which assert that Ornge ‘failed to ensure employee safety’ by ‘failing to train Donald Mark Filliter’, by ‘failing to provide pilots with a means to enable them to maintain visual reference while operating at night’, by ‘permitting pilots to fly the S-76A helicopter without adequate training in operation of that specific aircraft’, by permitting an aircraft to be flown by a pilot ‘with insufficient experience in night operations’ and ‘whose pilot proficiency check on the S-76 helicopter was incomplete’. The charges, which were filed by the Federal Ministry of Labour on 29 May, also state that Ornge allowed captain Don Filliter and first officer Jacques Dupuy to pilot an aircraft contrary to its ‘green-on-green’ policy, and that it failed to provide ‘adequate supervision’ for daily flight activities at Moosonee. These failings, say the charges, resulted in the deaths of Filliter and Dupuy.
In its statement, Ornge confirmed that it had received a summons, saying: “[We are] currently reviewing this documentation, and we cannot comment further as this matter is before the courts.” Ornge also said that its thoughts were with the families of the four staff who lost their lives in the Moosonee crash, and that it awaits the findings and recommendations of the Transportation Safety Board, whose investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Furthermore, Ornge noted that it has been working with Transport Canada, both before and after the 31 May accident, and has implemented measures that include: revised standard operating procedures for night operations; additional controlled flight into terrain training for all helicopter pilots; auditing training records to identify and address deficiencies; developing a training package and examination for S-76 model ‘differences’; and hiring a flight operations quality assurance inspector as well as a manager of flight training and standards.
The organisation also highlighted that after it received directions from Employment and Social Development Canada in November 2013 relating to Labour Code occupational health and safety provisions, it took immediate action and began following up with the agency immediately. Ornge said: “Since that time, with respect to the one direction based on a finding of danger to an employee at work, the agency has confirmed that a danger is no longer present.”
Ornge said it remains committed to providing high quality air ambulance and medical transport service, while taking any and all steps necessary to ensure the safety of its patients and crew members.