A 47-year-old Hamilton man, described by family members as "Mr. Safety," has died following an industrial accident early yesterday at Bunge Canada's vegetable oil processing plant on Victoria Avenue North.

Curt Besner was working with a hopper of soymeal when he fell 10 metres to his death about 1:50 a.m.

According to a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Besner was attempting to unjam the hopper with an air wand when the mass of soymeal released quickly.

Some of the material hit Besner, causing him to lose his balance and he fell over the guard rail of the work platform.

The labour ministry continues to investigate. No orders or charges have been laid.

Besner is survived by his wife of 25 years, Elaine, and two children, Evan, 21, and Tommy, 16.

Besner was originally from Hespeler and had almost completed his first year of employment at Bunge. He had earlier worked for Ball Packaging before it shut down.

"The ironic thing is that he was the king of safety," said Mike Mattinson, Besner's nephew.

"We even teased him around the house because he was a little anal about doing things the right way," added Elaine Besner.

She said she awoke to a knock on the door at 5:20 a.m. yesterday and discovered a couple of detectives standing on her front porch.

"As soon as they showed me their badges, I said, 'Go away, you're scaring me,'" she said. "I thought, 'This can't be good.'"

Fighting back tears, Elaine Besner added: "You never know what the day is going to bring.

"It shows you how we're never in control of life."

Family members and friends gathered at the Besner home in the city's east-end Rosedale neighbourhood yesterday to mourn his loss and remember a man who loved movies, especially old classics starring Humphrey Bogart.

Chris, a family friend, said what he will remember most about Curt is that he and Elaine were able to keep the magic alive between them even after 25 years of marriage.

An official with Bunge Canada said the company is co-operating with the ministry to help determine the cause of the accident.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with (Curt's) family and friends," said Robert Farr, Bunge's Hamilton plant manager.

"Bunge is committed to the safety of our employees and the communities we serve," Farr added.

A sign posted on one of the company's buildings indicated it had been more than three years since the last lost-time accident at the plant.

sbuist@thespec.com

905-526-3226