The day after three people were killed on a B.C. mushroom farm, the head of the province's largest labour organization has called for a public inquiry into the deaths.
Three men died and three others were taken to hospital after being overcome by noxious fumes in a confined space at Farmers Fresh Mushrooms in Langley, B.C., late Friday.
Initial reports from WorkSafeBC suggest the men were mixing manure into compost when a pump broke and the three were overcome by a mixture of gypsum, water and chicken manure.
B.C. Federation of Labour head Jim Sinclair said the tragedy is part of an avoidable "epidemic" on worksites across the province.
"We need some answers here so something like this doesn't happen again," said Sinclair. "Confined spaces - we lost four people up in the interior in a mine; we've lost people in barges. What happens is chemicals get released and take the oxygen out of the air, and as soon as you walk in, you die.
"A year-and-a-half later, three more people are dead, and you know what? It's time we had a public inquiry."
Sinclair said he has a meeting on Monday morning with the labour minister in which he'll ask for the inquiry.
"It's time to...open up the door and look in at this industry and say, 'What is it that we need to do as a society to make sure we deal with these problems, the language problems, the lack of support and the lack of safety on the farms?'"
Two victims identified
The three victims that survived the fumes were overcome by them when trying to help their co-workers. Two are in hospital in critical condition, the third is stable.
Ut Tran, 35, from Surrey, B.C., has been identified as one of the men who died. Michael Phan, also 35, is still in critical condition in hospital.
Workers at the farm are stunned by the accident, saying the victims were doing a task they'd completed hundreds of times before.
"They were making the compost for the mushrooms," a worker named Mariwan told CTV British Columbia. "So they mix it up with the chemical."
Dozens of firefighters and emergency officials were at the scene, putting unconscious bodies onto stretchers and carrying them into a covered warehouse for decontamination.
The RCMP said the incident does not appear to be criminal. WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Coroner's Office are investigating.
The owner of Farmers Fresh Mushrooms has not answered questions from media but his wife, Vanessa Truong, says she doesn't know what happened.
Neighbourhood protest
The tragedy has also put the spotlight on a neighbourhood protest over the farms practises. People living in the area say they've been complaining about the odour they think is coming from the property for several years.
A coalition of neighbours called Citizens for Legitimate Composting have complained to the Township of Langley and the Metro Vancouver many times about the smell of manure they believe is coming from the property belonging to the farm.
Charlie Fox, who is also a city councillor, lives in the area and has filed a complaint with the Farm Industry Review Board to have the farm inspected.
According to their website, the company has been operating since 1999 and makes more than $20 million annually in sales.
The Township of Langley is about 40 kilometres southeast of Vancouver.
With files from The Canadian Press
