Friday, March 07, 2014

This Day In Snookland....Despicable Thee.

AllYourSelfRegulations'R
UsVille


This, from a story by Justine Hunter (apologies, had surname very, very wrong originally) in today's Globe, is despicable:

...Safety inspectors from WorkSafeBC conducted 249 inspections this winter targeting combustible dust – a campaign that was prompted by dust-fuelled explosions that destroyed sawmills in Burns Lake and Prince George, killing four workers and injuring dozens more, early in 2012.

Despite new regulations and millions of dollars worth of safety upgrades in the past two years, inspectors found equipment “buried” in wood dust, mill sections that hadn’t seen a cleanup crew in months, and damaged ventilation systems...


But this, from the Snooklandian Minister responsible for (not?) putting a stop to it is truly unbelievable:

...Jobs Minister Shirley Bond said Tuesday she will meet with company CEOs to talk about the lack of compliance, and with WorkSafeBC to discuss what repercussions those employers may face.

“There are clear expectations, clear directives around mitigating for dust,” Ms. Bond said in an interview. “Before we start adding more regulation, we have to be sure the entire industry understands the importance of being in compliance.”....



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Look.

Just like bacteria blooming just beneath the blades of the meat cutters of deregulated packing plants, this is not rocket science.

Because all we have to do is make these companies clean-up.

Which is nothing fancy but it takes a little dedicated manpower and it takes a little money.

And if they don't clean-up we need to make them really pay.

Because, clearly, money, and not people's lives, is all they really care about.

Which is why, Ms. Bond, sometimes in a civil society a regulation, regulation that is actually enforced, not just 'discussed' goes a long way.

OK?



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I'm telling you...Sometimes I wonder....Are the copper boss thug men milling outside the only things missing from this story?...






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Previous Late Winter Jukebox Tunes...

















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