Redvers鈥� A methanol spill in a small enclosed space nearly took Bernie Inman鈥檚 life in 1994. Now he and his wife Sheila are spreading their safety message throughout the industry.
The pair were the speakers at the Redvers Oil and District Showcase banquet on May 12.
鈥淚鈥檓 a production operator, outdoorsman and farmer,鈥� Bernie said from his electric wheelchair.
He has no recollection of what happened that fateful day on Jan. 24, 1994, but through investigations and what others have told him, he鈥檚 pieced much of it together. For eight years, he tried to forget about the life-changing incident, but he was encouraged to do a presentation about it, and has continued to do so.
Bernie, at age 27, was working at a wellsite in northeast British Columbia. He was newly married, and Sheila was six months pregnant.
Bernie pointed out that people become complacent and comfortable in their work. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why people choose to take the chance,鈥� he said.
He had always been encouraged to report near misses, he said.
鈥淪omething that can seem so trivial can have huge implications,鈥� Bernie said, pointing out he is now a quadriplegic. 鈥淭he ripple effect of something like this reaches out, big time.鈥�
He got into the oilfield at 17 and worked primarily in commissioning gas plants.
On the day of the incident, it was bitterly cold. The vent on the small shack was clogged with snow. Somehow, when he was in the shack, his left foot opened a bleed valve which caused the pump to discharge methanol on his foot an clothes. A plug also ended up missing from a ball valve.
Embarrassingly, of the numerous complex facilities he鈥檚 worked in, one of the most simply equipped 鈥渢ook him out.鈥�
Disregarding a hard hat and ear protection, he wore a ball cap and normal eye glasses.
Back then, his company did not have a work-alone procedure ensuring regular check-ins. He had a new-fangled suitcase cellular phone. However, he didn鈥檛 answer at 9 p.m., long after he was expected home. His counterpart operator was called at 12:30 a.m., and he found Bernie at 3 a.m.
Bernie鈥檚 truck was running, headlights off (indicating he arrived during the day, in a time before daytime running lights). The truck door was open. He either tripped or slipped while entering the building, or perhaps the plug could have hit him in the forehead and knocked him out. No matter how it happened, Bernie was lying in a pool of methanol for roughly 11-12 hours, having been overcome by methanol fumes.
鈥淣obody鈥檚 ever survived this level of exposure to methanol before,鈥� he said.
Saturated and soaked in bone-chilling methyl alcohol, he sustained chemical burns to large portions of his body and overwhelming toxicity. He was 鈥渢he sickest individual in Vancouver General Hospital.鈥�
鈥淚t went through my skin, my lungs, mucous membranes,鈥� he said. The second and third degree burns spread from 45 to 70 per cent of his body. His kidneys shut down, his liver was essentially pickled, and the lining was burnt out of his lungs. His brain was covered in lesions.
Bernie was comatose for an extended period. After a month, they began unplugging him from life support, not expecting him to live, but he started to rouse a few days later.
鈥淭hey were happy to have me. I put them through hell. I鈥檓 lucky to be me, in the situation I鈥檓 in, a husband and father.鈥�
Despite subsequent brain damage, his body has slowly mended parts of his self. Bernie鈥檚 kidneys, liver and lungs have recovered. They have three active kids.
Things most people take for granted are now important, like the ability to feed himself again. He鈥檚 been able to put on 660,000 safe-driving kilometres.
Sheila said, 鈥淲hat was important became very clear. The most important thing I learned is that everyone is this room is a VIP and I guarantee someone is waiting for you to come home.
鈥淚n a second, your life can change. Be thankful for what you have,鈥� she said.
They concluded by saying 鈥淧lease take CARE 鈥� Communicate, Attitude, Responsibility and Educate.鈥�
