WorkSafe BC has fined Brinkman and Associates Reforestation $2,593.85 in connection with the drowning death of two of it workers on October 30, 2008.

Seven of Brinkman and Associates’s workers were travelling by boat to a remote logging operation near Bella Bella, British Columbia. The crew’s job that day was to remove seedling cones from a plantation (the cones protect seedlings from deer). They were travelling on a Sealander, a 35-foot flat-bottom boat designed to transport crews and goods that has a front gate to make it easier to load and unload at wilderness landings.

At some point during their trip, the boat began taking on water. Three of the workers jumped into the cold and rough water without life jackets or personal floatation devices (PFDs). One worker was able to climb back on board, but the other two drown.

The two men who died have been identified as:

• Jabez Kruithof, 61, of Courtenay, B.C.
• Danan Woitowic, 51, Chilliwack, B.C.

Shortly after the accident, Dirk Brinkman, chief executive officer of Brinkman and Associates Reforestation, told the media that the the entire crew behaved in a heroic fashion, doing their best to keep the boat close to the men in the water, but because the boat was swamped and was listing badly, an engine failed and the waves, wind, and current drove the boat towards the shore.

WorkSafe BC said that the company failed to ensure that the marine vessel was inspected both before initial use and at appropriate intervals to ensure its seaworthiness for the safe
transport of workers. It did not ensure that the vessel was equipped with all the required life‑saving equipment. Repairs were needed throughout the vessel, and seriously damaged
equipment ultimately allowed seawater to flow onto the deck.

Sources: WorkSafe BC

Island man identified as drowning victim – A Vancouver Island man has been identified as one of the dead after a boating mishap south of Bella Bella on Oct. 30. (Times Colonist)