B.C.’s Lakeland Mills Explosion Deaths Ruled Accidental
A coroner’s inquest has ruled the deaths of two men at the Lakeland Mills explosion in Prince George, B.C, as accidental.
Thursday’s ruling includes 33 recommendations aimed at improving workplace safety and improving the investigation of workplace death. In April 2012, Glenn Roche and Allan Little died as a result of injuries suffered when the Lakeland Mills exploded. Another 24 were injured.
Rhonda Roche says she regrets not doing more to help her husband improve workplace safety standards prior to his death in 2012. The inquest recommended alerting family members to safety concerns in workplaces. “I probably told him to maybe calm down instead of pursuing the right avenues required. I probably would have pushed him a little harder to be heard so if I knew, I probably would have done more. That’s a big regret,” she says.
Other recommendations include a review of emergency response and ambulance procedures, penalties for non-compliance with the B.C. fire code and improvements to the way in which workplace deaths are investigated and prosecuted.
The explosion at the Lakeland Mills sawmill occurred three months after a similar blast killed two others at Babine Forest Products near Burns Lake. An inquest into the Babine mill explosion and fire will be held in Burns Lake in July.
From CBC News: cbc.ca
Latest News
Carbotech Acquires Sawquip
Carbotech Group has acquired Sawquip, a manufacturing company specializing in the design and manufacture of sawmill equipment for the primary and secondary breakdown of logs into lumber. This acquisition allows Carbotech Group to add on a new field of expertise, providing customers with innovative new solutions for lumber production. Sawquip’s innovative products include log turners and optimized log infeeds, chipping canters, twin and quad circular saw modules, as well as optimized gangs for controlled shape sawing, among others.
Oregon Truckers File Suit Against State
Rob Freres, president of Oregon-based Freres Engineered Wood, a manufacturer of lumber, veneer, plywood and mass timber, has thrown in his support for a lawsuit filed by the Oregon Trucking Assn. and three Oregon-based trucking companies against the state of Oregon for overcharging truckers under the weight-mile tax.
Hasslacher Enters North America
Austria-based Hasslacher group is acquiring a stake in Element5, a mass timber producer specializing in the design, manufacture and assembly of modern engineered timber buildings. Based near Toronto, Can., Element5 employs more than 100 and produces cross-laminated timber and glued laminated timber for the North American market.
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.