The TSB publishes a Marine Safety Information Letter following the September 2016 gangway collapse at the wharf in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, Quebec

QUÉBEC, Dec. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Following its assessment of the collapse of the platform and gangway at the wharf in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, Quebec, in September (occurrence number M16C0146), the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is publishing a Marine Safety Information Letter today.

On September 7, 2016, at about 1130 Eastern Daylight Time, the passenger vessel Fjord Saguenay II docked at the marina in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, Quebec, to board passengers for a cruise on the river. The vessel's chief officer authorized the passengers, who were waiting on the dock, to begin boarding by using the platform and the gangway. At around 1140, the platform came away from the dock, taking the gangway with it and falling approximately eight metres. Several passengers who were standing on the gangway at the time of the occurrence sustained injuries.

The investigation revealed that the platform connecting the gangway to the dock had been fastened with lag screws to a piece of treated lumber, which was affixed to the dock with bolts. The piece of treated lumber holding the lag screws was in poor condition and, as a result, the screws were torn from their footings. No periodic maintenance or inspection of the platform or fastening system had been performed since it was first installed in 2011.

The assessment of the occurrence was unable to identify any existing municipal or provincial regulations referring to the periodic maintenance or inspection of this type of installation during its life cycle. The TSB has sent a Marine Safety Information Letter about this occurrence to the mayor of the municipality of Sainte-Rose-du-Nord. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Fédération québécoise des municipalités, the Union des municipalités du Québec, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to raise their awareness of the risks of such installations.

See the investigation page for more information.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

The TSB is online at www.tsb.gc.ca. Keep up to date through RSS, Twitter (@TSBCanada), YouTube, Flickr and our blog.

SOURCE Transportation Safety Board of Canada

For further information: Transportation Safety Board of Canada, Media Relations, 819-994-8053, [e-mail]