A year after his tragic death at the St. Albert RONA, the investigation into the death of a local teen is still ongoing.
Mitchell Tanner, a popular 16-year-old Paul Kane student, was killed one year ago tomorrow on June 7, 2008.
During just his second day on the job, he was crushed when a forklift he was riding on flipped on top of him.
Chris Chodan, a spokesperson for Alberta Employment and Immigration, said workplace fatalities require a very detailed investigation to clear the legal process.
“You have to be able to present it to the judge who may or may not be familiar with health and safety legislation and you have to make sure that it would stand up to appeal.”
He said several years ago the government changed the law to give inspectors up to two years to complete investigations.
“It is not unusual for them to take up to the two year period to file the charges.”
Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) said unfortunately one year is not out of line with other investigations. While the AFL believes the delay is unreasonable, it’s not unusual.
“We don’t think there is any good reason why the families and the broader public should have to wait so long, but it is par for the course,” McGowan said.
Tanner’s death sparked an outpouring of grief among his classmates at Paul Kane, as well other local youth.
Small memorials still remain under the St. Albert Trail bridge over the Sturgeon River. His funeral at St. Albert Parish was filled with young teens choking back tears.
The forklift involved in the accident and a similar unit were both flagged with stop-use tags following the accident.
Chodan said both units were inspected by an independent third party and cleared to return to use.
He said despite clearing them to return to service, the investigators haven’t ruled them out as a factor in the accident.
He said the investigation is ongoing and nothing will be ruled out until they complete it, explaining investigators pore over all possible causes and contributing factors, which takes time.
“The more evidence you have for the officers the better, but it takes some time to go through that,” he said. “They are the equivalent of a murder investigation in terms of their prosecution and what the court requires.”
McGowan said the government has chronically underfunded the workplace inspection system, which is likely playing a role in the delay.
“They haven’t put nearly enough resources into investigations of workplace health and safety.”
Following the accident the AFL called for mandatory training programs for operators and mechanical inspections for forklifts.
He said the government responded to those suggestions this week with a plan to develop a best practice guide but it won’t lead to mandatory regulations, just helpful suggestions.
“This is another missed opportunity when it comes to improving workplace health and safety,” he said. “They have chosen to take only a small step instead of a giant leap and that’s a shame.”
