'I'm a little nervous': Workers question refinery safety following cuts

Current and former employees at the oil refinery in Come by Chance continue to voice deep concerns about safety at the struggling Placentia Bay facility, but the manager says it's a top priority, despite recent job reductions.

"Safety is a core value of our company and will remain the cornerstone of how we operate," North Atlantic Refining manager Dan Harris said in a statement to CBC News.

• Committed to safety, refinery owners say after big layoffs

Harris added that the injury rate at the refinery is "considerably better" than the provincial benchmark. 

Emergency response questioned

But those close to the operation say staff such as pipe fitters and electricians have been reduced to dangerously low numbers, and they worry it's not enough to meet the maintenance demands of a complex first opened in 1973.

Emergency response, especially at night and on weekends, is also being questioned.

"We're still very concerned about the safety in the plant," refinery worker and United Steelworkers Union executive member Brian Dwyer said following a recent shift.

"It's a concern for everyone here."

'Too big a price to pay'

One of those speaking out is laid-off maintenance supervisor Dave Hoskins of Arnold's Cove, whose family was hit especially hard by the recent slashing of more than 100 positions at the refinery.

Not only did Hoskins lose his job, but his son and daughter were also shown the door.

Hoskins still has one son at the refinery, and he's concerned for his safety, and that of the nearly 500 other people still working there.

"If they're going to be bringing somebody out of there in a body bag one of those days, I'd just as soon shut it down this very minute. Just walk away from it. That's too big a price to pay," Hoskins said recently.

Hoskins said there used to be a dozen or so pipe fitters at the refinery, but that number is now much lower.

"These guys were working non-stop, trying to keep everything going. And right now three guys got to do it. I can't see how they're doing it," Hoskins said.

'Working under threat'

Hoskins also criticized the refinery management, accusing them of mistreating workers.

"[The] place is not fit to work in. You know, it's do this, or else. They're working under threat all the time. It's not a good atmosphere in there."

They're working under threat all the time. It's not a good atmosphere in there.- Laid off refinery employee Dave Hoskins

Brian Dwyer is equally critical of the workplace environment.

"I've not seen it worse in my nearly 20 years since I've been here," said Dwyer.

"We're as near the bottom as we can get right now."

'Will not waiver' from safety commitment

The manager did not respond to interview requests, but Dan Harris offered assurances in a written statement that the refinery will continue to operate in a safe manner.

"We will not waver from that commitment, and the decisions we make relative to our operations will always adhere to our safety standards," he wrote in a statement.

The refinery is owned by New York-based SilverPeak Financial Partners, comprised of a group of former Wall Street traders who purchased the facility in late 2014.

The company announced job reductions in November, saying the cuts were necessary in order to ensure the refinery continues to operate in an economic climate that has forced the closure of others.

The company said at the time it had operated this facility for over two million hours without any serious injuries.

"The injury rate at this facility is 88 per cent better than the provincial rate," the statement read.

Displaced workers like Dave Hoskins wonder how long that record can be maintained, with fewer people on hand to perform critical maintenance.

"The place can't be safer. Safety got to suffer because of it," Hoskins said of the layoffs.

The provincial government, meanwhile, said it is monitoring the situation to ensure health and safety standards are maintained.

In a statement earlier this week in response to reports the refinery is up for sale, Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady commended the company for its investments in the facility and for boosting daily production.

"They have improved operations and have a good strategy for the future," Coady said in a statement.