Workplace Case Study, Babine Lake and Lakeland Mills, Teaching Materials
These teaching materials are a case study on workplace health and safety, focusing on two sawmill explosions in British Columbia: Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake and Lakeland Mill in Prince George.
The Babine Forest Products explosion on January 20, 2012, killed two and injured 20 workers, with WorkSafeBC concluding inadequate dust collection and dry conditions as causes. Three months later, a similar explosion at Lakeland Mill also killed two and injured 22 workers.
The target audience for this activity includes secondary students and union orientation participants.The learning framework is based on the idea that workers are interested in labour history for self-improvement and connecting with the larger labor movement.
The activity requires participants to review the Burns Lake mill tragedy, analyzing the positions of the employer and WorkSafeBC after the incident. They will compare the Burns Lake and Lakeland Mill explosions, both of which destroyed sawmills within a three-month period, and then offer their views on the lessons learned from this historical case study.
Provided materials include an overview of the tragedy, a summary of WorkSafeBC’s investigation findings, articles detailing BFP’s disagreement with WorkSafeBC, and the ruling on the Lakeland Mills explosion.
Participants will read handouts and can optionally review the full 88-page WorkSafeBC report online.