The tragic deaths of Charley Cragg and Troy Pearson on a tugboat near Kitimat on Feb. 11, 2021, were a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining workplace safety.
April 28 will be the 33rd National Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety said the day is an opportunity to “remember and honour those lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy,” and to “collectively renew our commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace and to preventing further injuries, illnesses and deaths.”
Subsequent reviews found that the Ingenika tugboat had not been inspected in 50 years after it sank in the Gardner Canal in the face of a shift of turbulent weather.
Cragg, 25, was on his first day on the job as a deckhand on the boat, while the Ingenika’s captain Pearson had many years of experience as a captain. Both were Prince Rupert residents.
Zac Dolan, 18 at the time, was rescued 10 hours after the boat sank.
Last fall, James Bates, owner of Wainwright Marine Service – the operator of the Ingenika – was fined $310,000 by provincial court Judge Nina Purewal after Bates plead guilty to failing to provide proper training and supervision. However, Bates and Wainwright were not the only ones to be criticized after the boat sinking.
The federal Transport Safety Board (TSB) called out both Wainwright and a lack of oversight from Transport Canada, who made no requirements for certifications or inspections for boats under 15 gross tonnage or less – such as the Ingenika.
The TSB made four recommendations for Transport Canada to better regulate small tugs like the Ingenika, calling the department to require regular inspections and require owners to assess the vessels’ risks.
It also recommended the Pacific Pilotage Authority ensure tugs meet safety requirements before their owners are issued waivers, and create a system to make sure owners comply with the waiver conditions.
The tragedy left two families mourning, and calling on better regulations to prevent future accidents. “We need to continue to fight for a clear legacy for those guys because they were honourable men, honourable mariners and diligent about what they did,” Judy Carlick Pearson, Troy’s husband, told Black Press Media in February 2023.
“We need to stand up and make some noise about this because we don’t want this to happen to future mariners.”
In 2022 alone, there were 993 workplace fatalities across Canada, according to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada.