Crane operator's death (age 22) warrants criminal charges, union group says (Cn)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=8fb6f9f3-127e-4c3f-b880-18a8e57d3c6a

Union that represented 22-year-old killed in accident says job site was safe
Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, July 19, 2008

An umbrella group for B.C. construction unions is calling for criminal charges in the death of a 22-year-old crane operator working on the Canada Line, but the union that represented him says the job site was safe and no charges are warranted.

WorkSafeBC -- the Workers' Compensation Board -- says the operator, Andrew Slobodian, was not sufficiently trained for the job he was doing.

WorkSafe is contemplating fines against his employers.

"It's just not sufficient to fine people in these instances," Wayne Peppard, executive director of the B.C. Building Trades Council, said Friday "That's just a cost of doing business.

"We believe that if a person isn't trained properly ... that's criminal," Peppard said in an interview.

Slobodian's union, Ironworkers Local 97 -- a member of the trades council -- disagreed.

"This was a safe job site. It was a tragic accident," said Derrill Thompson, legal counsel for Local 97.

The union also represents Slobodian's foreman, who the WorkSafeBC incident investigation report says was preoccupied with other work and "did not adequately plan or supervise the crane work" that led to Slobodian's death.

FULL story at link.