Stewart Willing to Wait for Final Word from WorkSafe on Cause of Deadly Blast
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 4:02 AM
Prince George, B.C.- As students flipped burgers, and members of the community enjoyed their lunch at the CNC Lakeland Fire Assistance Fund fundraiser yesterday, Sinclar Group CEO Greg Stewart was answering questions about the recent information released by WorkSafeBC.
While not pinpointing the cause of the explosions and fires at both the Babine and Lakeland mills, WorkSafe did suggest there were similarities in both tragic fires. “In both investigations, the ignition sources appear to have been located at the conveyor level, where electrical and/or mechanical equipment was in operation in areas contained by walls and equipment. These areas are at the basement or lower level of both of the mills under investigation” reads the update.
The update made it clear that “this is an observation only and no final conclusions have been reached with respect to the cause or underlying factors.”
Stewart says he appreciates that information from WorkSafe BC “I think the public, workers and industry have been looking to WorkSafe to provide some guidance after the Babine fire, and I think their need to respond to the Lakeland fire is front and centre and a priority for them. So I am really appreciative of the fact that WorkSafe BC came out with what they did so that everyone is working with the best information possible. In terms of the location and so forth, my focus is what caused the fire and how do we prevent that. In terms of the location, I’m not sure if I have enough knowledge to say if I am surprised or not surprised.”
Sinclar Group has been holding town hall meetings to try and share information with employees and members of the community, he says people are recognizing that there are still many questions which can’t yet be answered “From my perspective, I’ve drawn a lot of support from those town hall meetings and the employees we have, we have a great set of employees who have a tremendous attitude and I think they will do very well in the years to come as they cope with this.”
The question everyone has asked, is whether or not the mill will be rebuilt, and Stewart has been quick to point out there are several factors which are in favour of that happening, however, nothing can be decided until the WorkSafe BC investigation has concluded. “We believe our employees are our family, we continue to have concerns for those who remain in hospital and how their families are coping, but fundamentally, we’ve had an explosion at our mill and we need to understand what caused that explosion. We need to integrate that knowledge into whatever a new mill is, so we’re really waiting on WorkSafeBC to see some guidance on what the root cause was.”
Stewart says although WorkSafe BC may be under pressure to come up with answers, he believes WorkSafeBC should be given the space it needs to come up with those definitive answers “We would do everyone well to make sure that we actually get what the issue is and not to put too much pressure on them to rush an investigation.”
Two people, Allan Little and Glen Roche, died as a result of injuries sustained in the explosion and fire April 23rd, five other employees remain in hospital.
Comments
I don’t understand why they are waiting on WorkSafe before deciding to rebuild? Can someone please explain this? What does the WorkSafe ruling have to do with a rebuild?
I think part of the explanation is right in the report above:
“…. weâve had an explosion at our mill and we need to understand what caused that explosion. We need to integrate that knowledge into whatever a new mill is, so weâre really waiting on WorkSafeBC to see some guidance on what the root cause was.â
I am sure that is not the only consideration. Incidents such as this provide opportunities which do not show up every day. It is time for a review and the best decision based on as much information which is can be made available.
From my point of view, location should also be reviewed. What was a good location 40+ years ago may no longer be a good location for the next 40 years.
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