Prince George, B.C. – The new Lakeland Mill is scheduled to restart next month but at least one person isn’t ready to return to work.

Bruce Germyn was one of the many people injured in the April 2012 explosion which also killed two workers.

Bruce Germyn

He says the decision was his own choice.

“They (Lakeland) did phone me for a call-back but I told them I wasn’t ready and that I really don’t know if or when I’ll ever be ready to go back.”

Germyn says he continues to feel the physical effects of the blast noting he still has “constant 24 hour a day pain” from the neck up and then there are the psychological issues he’s still dealing with.

“I do have nightmares. I have images and triggers. It’s tough to even drive by the site.”

However he hasn’t closed the door on a return to mill work at some point in the future.

“I’ve been saying if I can get back into a mill environment that would be a huge psychological advancement for me. That’s why I’ve left that door open.”

Ultimately though Germyn says he’d like to go back to school and become a trauma counsellor.

“I really love helping people. My wife says people are drawn to me.”

And amazingly he sees some good out of what happened.

“I still see positive that has come out of it. I see I’ve improved myself as a human and I still deal with a lot but I do see that positive in my life is still there.”