In the wake of the death of a tugboat operator at Tolko MIll in Kelowna - and the death last week of a worker at a log sorting facility in Lumby - the BC Federation of Labour is renewing its call for the province to make workplaces safer.
Federation President Irene Lanzinger says the government and employers aren't doing enough to keep workers safe on the job.
She says health and safety protections are weak and not always rigorously enforced, injured workers are not fairly compensated, and employers whose negligence kills or seriously injures workers are let off with a slap on the wrist.
Lanzinger says the BC Federation of Labour will continue to press the provincial government and the opposition NDP for more stringent laws and rules, more frequent workplace safety inspections, tougher enforcement, more stringent penalties for employers who commit violations, and for greater balance and fairness at the Workers Compensation Board.