Combustible Dust Safety Reforms: Honoring Babine Explosion Victims

On the anniversary of the Babine Forest Products mill explosion, the United Steelworkers union (USW) is remembering the two workers killed and the more than 20 others injured in the 2012 tragedy, while welcoming long-overdue reforms to British Columbia’s combustible dust safety regulations. Fourteen years ago, two workers went to work at the Babine sawmill near Burns Lake, B.C., and did not return home to their families after a powerful explosion caused by combustible wood dust. The disaster remains one of the deadliest industrial workplace tragedies in the province’s history. “Today, we honour the workers who lost their lives and were injured at Babine Forest Products and those whose lives were forever changed,” said Scott Lunny, USW District 3 Director. “This tragedy should never have happened, and it must continue to drive real and lasting safety reforms.” At its November 2025 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved significant amendments to Part 6 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation to modernize how combustible dust hazards are regulated in British Columbia. The changes move away from a narrow, material-specific approach and establish a comprehensive, risk-based framework that applies to all combustible dusts across industries. The new requirements include mandatory combustion risk assessments, written combustible dust management programs, stronger controls on ignition sources and dust accumulation, and enhanced training and worker consultation. The amendments will come into force on Jan. 4, 2027. “For years, Steelworkers have called for action particularly when it comes to combustible dust,” said Lunny. “While it has taken far too long, these changes are an important step toward preventing future tragedies.” The USW will continue to push for strong enforcement of the new combustible dust regulations, so that the workers lost at Babine are never forgotten and no family has to endure a similar loss again. The United Steelworkers has a long history of standing up for the health and safety of workers. The union’s past efforts have resulted in the creation of the Westray Law and a dedicated Crown Attorney for forest industry fatalities. The USW’s national campaign, “Stop the Killing, Enforce the Law,” targets all levels of government, law enforcement, attorneys general and Crown prosecutors to hold employers criminally responsible when workers are killed on the job. The campaign’s goals include increased training for law enforcement and Crown prosecutors in using the Westray Law, and the appointment of dedicated police officers and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute workplace fatalities when gross negligence is involved. For more information on USW’s campaign “Stop the Killing, Enforce the Law,” see usw.ca/stopthekilling. About the United Steelworkers union The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter