More than $1 million worth of penalties against the owner of Babine Forest Products have been upheld, following a review by WorksafeBC. An explosion and fire at the Babine Forest Products sawmill in 2012 killed two workers and injured more than 20 others.
The Prince George Citizen reports that after a series of reviews requested by the sawmill’s owner, Hampton Affiliates, the workplace safety agency stands by its original decision: an administrative penalty of $97,500 and a claims cost levy of $914,139.
In a decision earlier this month, WorkSafeBC review officer Melina Lorenz said the evidence supports the conclusions and penalties imposed against the company, according to the Citizen.
The WorkSafeBC investigation of the incident concluded that wood dust was the major fuel for the explosion and fires.
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