BC Safety Authority Explains Report Issue
Thursday, May 9, 2013 @ 3:44 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The BC Safety Authority has released a detailed statement on why it did not release the full 97 report on its investigation into the Babine Forest Products mill explosion and fire.
It was revealed this week that the full report was not made public and that the BCSA ordered copies of the report be destroyed. ( see previous story)
In its statement, BCSA says it chose not to release the full investigation report “to avoid compromising Crown Counsel’s review of a referral from WorkSafe B.C.”
The BC Safety Authority, which had conducted its own investigation into the blast to see if technical issues, such as gas lines, valves, electrical systems played a role in the tragedy.
The BCSA says “all information collected during the Babine investigation which was pertinent to safety was released in a recommendations report and followed up with multiple Safety Orders aimed at addressing dust hazards in wood processing facilities”
The BCSA then outlined how it came to be that duplicate copies of the full report, were ordered destroyed.
- Upon completion of our investigation into the Babine Forest Products incident, BCSA prepared an investigation report. This report has not been destroyed or compromised in any way. It remains completely intact and we still intend to release it at the appropriate time.
- When we were originally preparing for the release of the full report, we shared the report with those having direct interests and related obligations (namely the owner/operators of the mill, other safety agencies, BCSA’s Board of Directors and our reporting Ministry).
- We were approached by WorkSafeBC with concerns that the public release of the full BCSA report might jeopardize a future prosecution process based on WSBC’s referral of their own investigation findings to Crown Counsel. Therefore, WSBC requested we not release our full report until the conclusion of the Crown Counsel review.
- A conference call was held to discuss the report in relation to Crown Counsel’s review. On this call were representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry responsible for Labour (WorkSafeBC) and Ministry of Energy and Mines (BC Safety Authority).
- BC Safety Authority carefully considered the request from WorkSafeBC and determined that releasing the information necessary to enhance safety was paramount. We thereby proceeded to release a detailed recommendations report in lieu of the full report.
- BCSA further asked that any pre-circulated copies of the full report be destroyed to avoid inadvertent disclosure that might undermine Crown’s process.
The BCSA says it has “widely shared the recommendations report with industry and the public to provide the information needed to promote technical system safety improvements. Our recommendations and the associated Safety Orders are very specific and detailed to provide the appropriate guidance for wood processing facilities to assess and manage potential risks in their operations. We continue to work with industry and other agencies on this and other safety initiatives.”
Comments
And what role did the conference call by Shirley Bond,Pat Bell and Rich Coleman play? I call this bullsh*t, let the report be made public, the judge will decide on the merits of any case,not BCSA.
Omitted from the list of those with whom the draft report was shared are the mill workers, the people most directly affected by unsafe conditions, who in many cases have personal knowledge of conditions in the mill. This seems highly inappropriate.
Sounds like the Liberals pulling the stings at BCSA again to try and do some damage control.
Another liberal coverup to protect Worksafe BC for doing an inadequate job to protect frontline workers.
I am not sure why it is so difficult fpor some people – I do not care which side of the political spectrum they are from – do not understand the fact that the primary responsibility of safe working conditions falls to the owner.
WorkSafeBC is an insurance company the same as ICBC. ICBC is not the reason why cars crash. Neither is WorkSafeBC the reason why people get injured or killed on the job.
This is not a “cover up” nor some grand politcal scheme.
More than often reports like this will contain graphic photos, personal information and witness statements that are critical to ivestigation and possible prosecution so they have no business being in the public domain as this can seriouslty compromise developments in the case.
Once the investigation/possbile prosection is complete after sensitive personal information is omited then the repot can be publicly released.
This is another cover up attempt and don’t try to spin it. It is not a WIDC funding scandal, in this one workers died and got injured for life.
S H A M E ….
Well univ… If you had a relative killed in a work related accident would you want the full report released? Including the fatality pictures and personal information of the family?
My line of work is directly related to reports like this.. No spin here.
“The BC Safety Authorityâs full report on the explosion and fire at the Babine and Lakeland mills must be released says Frank Everitt, President of local 1-424 of the Steelworkers union.”
Their union who legally represent them says the report “MUST BE released”. Who are we to oppose their wish?
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