Employees of two British Columbia sawmills destroyed by fire in 2012 have launched a class-action lawsuit against the provincial agency responsible for workplace safety.
The separate fires in Burns Lake and Prince George killed a total of four workers and injured 42 others.
A notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court says combustible wood dust fuelled the January explosion at Babine Forest Products and an April explosion at Lakeland Mills Ltd.
The employees and family members allege WorkSafeBC was negligent in its inspections and investigations of the mills, breached its fiduciary responsibilities to the workers, causing them physical and psychiatric injuries. The allegations have yet to be tested in court.
Canadian Press – Jan 12, 2016.