Excerpt from the OH& Canada magazine
The Saskatchewan coroners service 86 recommendations following the completion of its investigation into the fatal collision involving a coach bus carrying Junior hockey players from Humboldt Broncos and a semi-tractor trailer on a rural highway on April 6, 2018. The report, released on February 25, 2019 recommended the following:
- Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure to review their policy on the installation of traffic-control devices and signs at, and in advance of, the intersection by taking sightlines and expected speed and volume of traffic into consideration;
- The Saskatchewan Highway Patrol review their policy and operating procedures to ensure stricter compliance with regulations and standards for commercial-vehicle drivers;
- the Saskatchewan Coroners Service create and trained staff with respect to a mass-totality plan that includes reviewing policy and standard operating procedures with respect to identifying the deceased;
- Saskatchewan Government Insurance should work with the trucking industry to implement standardized and possibly mandatory training for truck drivers;
- Saskatchewan Health Authority to review policy and standard operating procedures with respect to the identification of persons coming into their care resulting from a mass-casualty or totality event; and
- Transport Canada continues to support the development of regulations that enhance national safety codes with respect to driver training and electronic logging devices, and create regulations mandating the installation of seat belts in highway public transport buses.
The Chief coroner has determined no inquest will be held.
My opinion
A process like this takes a lot of time and the coroner’s office wanted to get this one right since it was such a high-profile case. I hope there isn’t anybody out there believing that this should have been a speeded-up type process. Most of the time, when that happens, things tend to get missed and we did not want to have that happen in this case.
I believe the coroners office covered most of the necessary things in a changing but if the reader can see any other items that need to be addressed please contact your member of provincial parliament in the province of Saskatchewan. Make your voice be heard!
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Canada, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
VP & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.