The Lakeland Mills Coroner’s Inquest wrapped for the week today at the Prince George Courthouse.
Jeff Coleman with the BC Safety Authority took the stand and testified that many people within the industry did not know the explosive risks of wood dust.
He says his group is recommending that wood dust be classified in the Canadian Electrical Code in the same category as coal dust; highly explosive.
After the authority conducted inspections at 237 wood processing plants across the province following the explosion, they found that the majority of them were using electrical components not rated for hazardous dusty environments (like Lakeland was), as opposed to the type of gear you would find in a coal mine.
In general, the BC Safety Authority only conducts inspections for new equipment installations. Coleman was pressed by John Roger’s, lawyer for the United Steelworkers Union, as to why the BC Safety Authority doesn’t carry out preventative inspections.
He says the BC Safety Authority has always had an anonymous hotline that allows workers to report problems, but a general consensus from the Lakeland employees in the gallery said that that number was never published within the mill.
The inquest will resume on Monday.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
