Prince George, BC – The last witness to take the stand at the Coroner’s Inquest into the deaths of Glenn Roche and Alan Little before it was unexpectedly adjourned earlier this week said there were ‘missed opportunities all the way along’ in the weeks and months leading up to the April 2012 blast at Lakeland Mills.

Greg Stewart testified, that as he’s replayed the events leading up to the explosion, ‘there were steps individuals could have taken and they were missed.’ However, the president of Sinclar Group, which is two-thirds owner of Lakeland, said it remains a very complex issue in his mind.  “It was a dust explosion that occurred, but how did we get to that point.”

Stewart said the industry had operated for hundreds of years in BC without an incident of that magnitude.  When questioned about combustible dust incidents at West Pine in Quesnel and a 2010 dust explosion at Pacific BioEnergy’s pellet plant in Prince George, Stewart pointed to the fact none of the incidents involved a sawmill and the explosions originated inside processing equipment, as opposed to what’s now being referred to as the ‘confined space’ of a sawmill.

When questioned by Inquest counsel, John Orr, on his knowledge of the issues surrounding beetle kill wood, Stewart said he realized the dry dust was was a fire hazard, that it presented challenges around processing, and was familiar with dust as a health concern.  But Stewart testified that even after the blast at Babine Forest Products that killed two workers just three months prior, he did not make the connection.  He said there were many factors being discussed as potential causes in that incident, including natural gas.  Stewart said he reached out to the mill’s owners in the days following, but got no heads up to probable causes and did not receive any type of warning or advisory from WorkSafeBC.

Stewart agreed with assertions that employers are ultimately responsible for worker safety, but also said he doesn’t see safety as being solely one person’s responsibility.  To be effective, he said, everybody has to be involved.  Stewart testified that he was not at the mill on a daily basis and relied on issues being brought forward from mill manager, Mike Richard.  He said Richard knew safety was a priority and that he had the authority to address any issues raised. (click here for previous story)

Stewart said repeatedly during his testimony that he had not been made aware of employee concerns about dust accumulations at the mill, nor was he aware of two fires that occurred at Lakeland in January, just prior to Babine – one of which was described by employees as an explosion in the air – until after April 23rd.  He also testified that he was not aware that Lakeland did not have a Safety Plan in place, as is required under the Fire Code.  He did bring a copy of the 254-page plan that has recently been submitted to Prince George Fire Rescue and testified its expected to be approved sometime next month.

Stewart testified that efforts had been underway since 2011 to reinvigorate a ‘culture of safety’ at all of Sinclar Group’s operations, but he acknowledged those efforts have lacked employee input.  He fully agreed with a suggestion from juror #4, that employees be assigned to attend the company’s safety committee meetings, as they would be assigned any other duty.

Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, asked Stewart if he had been aware of victim, Alan Little’s, statement, “No one is going to die on my shift,” and the fact Little had shut the mill to deal with dust.  He said he became aware of the shutdown after April 23rd, but was not aware of Little’s statement until the inquest.

The coroner said, given that he had not been aware of employees’ dust concerns and his lack of knowledge about the previous fires at the mill, did he feel there was good communication?  “The simplest answer is: probably not,” replied Stewart.  “That broke down.”

Stewart testified earlier on the impact of the tragedy, saying not a day goes by where it isn’t thought about or discussed.  He, again, apologized to the families and said he can’t even imagine what it’s like.  “Where we stay focused, is ensuring it doesn’t happen again.”

Stewart recommended to the jury that a plenary group involving mill owners, employees, and other agencies like WorkSafeBC, the BC Safety Authority, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner be set up to monitor potential risks.  He said the industry has addressed wood dust in Lakeland’s aftermath, his fear is addressing that ‘next hazard’.