Worker’s Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Covered by Workers’ Comp

A worker was sorting recyclables at a solid waste facility when he had trouble breathing, felt dizzy and nauseated, and had a mild headache. At the hospital, the doctors diagnosed him with carbon monoxide poisoning. But his claim for workers’ comp benefits was denied. The Appeals Tribunal found that while in a closed work environment filled with propane and diesel fumes from various equipment, the worker had experienced a progression of symptoms that three doctors concluded was associated with carbon monoxide poisoning. Noting that the facility didn’t engage in gas monitoring until after the worker got sick, the Tribunal ruled that he was entitled to benefits as he’d suffered an ‘accident’ on the job and associated with vehicles used internally at the facility [20147284 (Re), [2014] CanLII 36505 (NB WHSCC), June 19, 2014].