Gov’t Fills Gaps In Fire Code Compliance
Prince George, BC – The provincial government has announced a new plan to fill in gaps in fire inspection processes, which came to light during investigations into the deadly explosions at the Lakeland Mills and Burns Lake sawmills.
The Fire Inspection and Prevention Initiative is a two-year, one million dollar investment by WorkSafeBC aimed at reducing the risk fire represents to workers in industrial operations and improving fire code compliance. FIPI is meant to improve coordination between WorkSafeBC, the BC Safety Authority, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
In the course of regularly scheduled and/or targeted inspections, WorkSafeBc will be requesting all building owners provide documentation related to fire code compliance. BC Safety Authority inspectors will do the same when peforming on-site inspections of regulated equipment installation.
"The Fire Services Act requires that we respond to reports of non-compliance of the Fire Code," says Deputy BC Fire Commissiner Kelly Gilday. "With the creation of FIPI, there will be better information sharing that will allow us to continue to respond and impose penalties as necessary."
Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training, Pat Bell, says, "We believe that through the better accountability that we will demand from industrial owners and operators, as well as through improved education and awareness, we will be able to save more lives and improve safety at all of our high-risk industrial operations in British Columbia."
Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Shirley Bond, says the coordinated framework of the new program will ensure there are more stringent checks and balances in place to ensure inspections are being done. "But also when they’re not," says Bond, "That there are sufficient and adequate consequences."
Comments
“WorkSafeBc will be requesting all building owners provide documentation related to fire code compliance”
Documentation? Who will be responsible for the actual inspections PLUS enforcement when deficiencies are found after an inspection?
What role is played by the safety committees which are closest to the ongoing situations in the plant? Are local fire departments conversant with industrial fire safety requirements to he exent of being able to spot infractions? With the number of industrial plants we have (although the number has been diminishing) how many people do we have locally who are fully up to speed with current requirements?
FIPI is meant to improve coordination between WorkSafeBC, the BC Safety Authority, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
And just how are these rule’s going to apply to the HD mining in Tumbler Ridge?
Does Work safe rules, or even Fire Safety rules going to apply.
What I mean is, what are the boundaries before the company decides that your interfering and sues?
Are you Justice Shirley Bond going to write a new set of rules for Forestry and a different set for Mining? Accountability for Companies like Can-for but omitted for Chinese owned Companies? Am I getting that right?
Yup here we go with another “initiative”, it’s almost like, “best intentions”. It means well but it never really gets the job done. The solution to an issue is to “after the fact” throw more “government agencies” into the mix to solve the problem. Hah there’s a contradiction in term. It takes one agency almost a year to get to the bottom of lousy house keeping and poor site safety, how is throwing another entity into the mix going to “speed up investigations or improve site safety”. I have seen this agency co-operation before (if you can call it that) the more fingers in the pie the slower and more difficult it is to get anything done.
Shirley must be kidding herself if she thinks this is going to help matters (she has a track record for screwing up things more than fixing them). It comes down to money for a lot of these facilities, having someone on staff to check to ensure things are kept clean and safe costs money and time. Now having an outside agency come in and tell you to clean up your act and maybe issue a small fine (the fine is nothing to these facilities = chump change). The usual response is yah yah we will get it cleaned up thanks drawing our attention to that issue. A half hearted attempt is made at cleaning up the problem and that’s it, nothing more.
Then lets talk about the weather and travel, do you seriously think that inspectors (from what ever agency) are going to bother traveling out to these sites to conduct “spot inspections” or “unannounced safety checks”. Not likely, heck they won’t even inspect Wal-Mart at night to see the night shift breaching safety regulations let alone travel to a mill or plant in the middle of no where during the daytime. WorkSafe BC is just as sloppy as it’s previous Worker Compensation Board name sake. Where I am going with this is simple, we need an entity that has teeth and regulatory power to enforce the safe working procedures and house keeping regulations in place.
It’s always hind sight and arm chair quarterbacking after and incident that was preventable. There is no actual proactive entity that comes in unannounced an oversees any industrial operations and enforces regulations that are geared toward worker safety. It doesn’t matter if it’s a coal mine, a logging operation, a saw mill, paper mill or a superstore. Regulations are in place it’s the administration of these regulations that needs to be addressed here. More site inspections, more industry fines and shut downs until a facility is compliant. More teeth and less political posturing.
“what are the boundaries before the company decides that your interfering and sues?”
Sues? Have there been such suites?
As far as I know such actions deal with administrative law and one has to go through the administrative appeal process when an order is written. I believe that system has to be exhausted before an action in court can be heard.
In my experience, neither companies or their lawyers are very good at dealing with the administrative appeal process. As always, there are exceptions, of course.
Prof: “It’s always hind sight and arm chair quarterbacking…”
Isn’t that what the O250 site is all about? Oops, sorry, you were talking about something else.
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