The Saint John Law Courts building. Image: Brad Perry
The death of an employee at a Sussex sawmill has led to several recommendations to improve safety.
William Douglas Gregg was killed in a workplace accident at the J.D. Irving Sawmill in Feb. 2016.
His death led to a mandatory coroner’s inquest which was held in Saint John earlier this week.
The five-member jury heard from 12 witnesses and made four recommendations to improve the safety of people working in sawmills.
- It should be clear on roles and responsibilities of who is responsible for start up and shut down of equipment.
- Clear and defined handoff procedures should be established between production mode versus maintenance mode when equipment is being shut down or locked out.
- Training plans, safety observations and audits should be used to ensure employees remain proficient and that work practices remain safe.
- Emergency response plans should include instructions on communication to local authorities and instructions for site access. Response plans could be enhanced through the use of mock drills.
The chief coroner will send the recommendations to the appropriate agency for consideration and response.
The inquest does not make any finding of legal responsibility nor assign blame, rather recommendations can be made aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.
They are mandatory any time a worker dies in an accident during the course of their employment at or in a woodland operation, sawmill, lumber processing plant, food processing plant, fish processing plant, construction project site, mining plant or mine, including a pit or quarry.
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