After 22 months, WorkSafeBC says it has completed its incident investigation into Kelowna’s fatal crane collapse from two summers ago.
While the results of that investigation can be made available to the Kelowna RCMP through judicial authorization, they won’t be made public just yet.
“A decision has been made, in consultation with the RCMP, to not release the WorkSafeBC investigation report publicly, at this time, to ensure it does not jeopardize the ongoing and concurrent criminal investigation,” a WorkSafeBC statement explained.
The agency says it has worked with subject-matter experts and engineers since the incident on July 12, 2021, to examine the crane components, sequence of events and work procedures that took place during the crane dismantling process.
It was during that process that the large crane, which was on the site of the Brooklyn building in downtown Kelowna, came crashing to the ground and killed five people.
The victims included construction workers Jared Zook, Cailen Vilness and brothers Patrick and Eric Stemmer, along with office worker Brad Zawislak who was crushed while working in a building next to the site.
“The primary purpose of WorkSafeBC’s investigation has been to identify the cause of the incident, and any contributing factors, so that similar incidents can be prevented from happening in the future,” WorkSafeBC explained.
The Kelowna RCMP Serious Crime Unit continues to actively investigate the incident independently and separately from WorkSafeBC.
The police investigation focuses on determining if any criminal elements were present.
“When police determine criminality in a case, they compile a report and forward this information to the BC Prosecution Service for charge consideration,” added the WorkSafeBC statement.
“The criminal investigation into this incident is extensive and complex, and as such, it is anticipated that this investigation will remain ongoing for an extended period.”
The RCMP is working through “thousands of pieces of evidence and seized documentation,” while also consulting with partners nationally.
To protect the integrity of the criminal investigation, the Kelowna RCMP will not comment on the investigation or provide specific details at this time.
