COME BY CHANCE, N.L. – Local and regional branches of the United Steelworkers (USW) continue to raise alarm about safety risks at the North Atlantic Refining Limited (NARL) oil refinery in Come By Chance, N.L. In an Aug. 31 news release, the union criticized the provincial government for ignoring safety concerns at the plant for more than two years. Among the USW’s accusations is that NARL and Service N.L. have backtracked on their commitment to establishing a Process Safety Management system, which would allow workers to be involved in safety training and procedures. The union warned that the current situation was similar to that before the March 1998 explosion at the plant that killed two employees and injured another. “Our concerns over health and safety have fallen on deaf ears for too long. The government’s duty is to protect working people. They’re shirking that duty,” USW Local 9316 president Glenn Nolan said in a media statement. “We’re calling on the government to engage with us and take meaningful action to help resolve the legitimate health and safety concerns that our members have at NARL, before things get worse.” Nolan had expressed other safety concerns about the refinery earlier this year following a number of layoffs (COHSN, April 11).