Construction work was halted at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands project near Fort McMurray, Alberta due to smoke from an enormous wildfire.
Construction work was halted at Imperial Oil's Kearl oilsands project near Fort McMurray, Alberta due to smoke from an enormous wildfire.
“On two days last week (May 23) and one day in another week, we temporarily suspended work at the kearl site due to smoke,” said Imperial Oil spokesperson Pius Rolheiser.
“Other than that, construction is proceeding as normal.”
Rolheiser said the fire is about seven to eight kilometres from the main worksite.
A number of fires have been burning for several weeks in the area.
“Our top priority is protecting the health and safety of workers,” he said. “We have air quality monitoring on site and around the site to make sure the air quality is within occupational health and safety standards.
About 3,000 Kearl construction workers were held back at their Wapasu Creek Lodge on May 30, because of concerns about air quality.
Imperial made a similar decision in the week of May 23, when air conditions were also poor.
According to Rolheiser, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development does not expect that the fire near the Kearl site will expand significantly.
JOC News Service
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