WorkSafeBC levies $1M in fines and fees for Burns Lake blast that killed two

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s workers compensation board has imposed more than $1 million in fines and fees against the owners of the Burns Lake sawmill that exploded, killing two workers and injuring 19 others.

WorkSafeBC charged Hampton Affiliates a penalty of $97,000, and a so-called claims cost levy of almost $915,000.

The levy authorizes the agency to collect compensation for death or injury, and the money will be deposited into an accident fund.

However, WorkSafeBC says the total claim associated with the incident is nearly $5.2 million.

Maureen Luggi, whose husband was killed in the blast two years ago, says the fine isn’t acceptable to her and she still wants an independent inquiry into the cause of the blast that destroyed the mill.

WorkSafeBC says in the news release that the dollar value of the penalty and levy does not reflect the loss of lives and the pain suffered by workers and their families.