NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
www.pentictonwesternnews.com
3
news
Council declares another property unfit
VOL. 47 ISSUE 72
12
New fees could dampen tunes
11 page
FRIDAY, September 6, 2013
entertainment Museum features bumper tales and more
21
sports Young Stars Classic features BCHL talent
DISTRICT FAILS SAFETY AUDIT
NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
Kronebusch said the RDOS wants to protect the organizations in question because they’re mainly staffed by volunteers. Outdated safety management systems at “It would reflect poorly on what they’re volunteer fire departments and lack of an doing, and let’s face it: They’re volunteers organization-wide safety program will cost and we feel proud of them and they’re coma local government $10,000 a year. mitted to the community,” he said. The Regional District of OkanaganThe executive summary notes the 2010 Similkameen received $31,137 in rebates audit graded the peripherals with other core on its WorkSafeBC premiums over three operations, which “watered down” their years, but lost the incentive when it failed poor scores, but the 2013 edition evaluated an external safety audit this the peripherals as separate entispring. ties. The audit, which cost “As the employer, the $10,815, assessed nine areas, RDOS is responsible for mansuch as accident investigations, aging the safety of the parks safety committees and worker and recreation commission training. employees, which does not Just because “We are a safe organizacurrently meet requirements,” tion. Just because we had we had some the summary stated. some infractions, or we’ve got “Similarly, the fire departinfractions, some challenges in front of us, ments also act independently doesn’t mean we’re not safe,” doesn’t mean in terms of safety management said RDOS internal safety auno guidance or active inwe’re not safe. with ditor Dale Kronebusch. volvement from the RDOS. The rebates were made “Neither of the two depart— Dale Kronebusch available through a voluntary ments audited used the RDOS Certificate of Recognition prosafety management system, gram created by WorkSafeBC both relying on existing, out of date sysand managed by industry groups. tems.” n 2010, the RDOS was the first local Kronebusch suggested the failures regovernment in B.C. to undergo a COR au- lated to inadequate record-keeping. dit, which it passed, and was the first to un“Some of the areas, they’ve got the right dergo the mandatory three-year follow-up. equipment, they may have the meetings, A copy of the executive summary from but they may not mark down the minutes the audit report was provided to the West- and that sort of thing as accurately as they ern News by the RDOS, although names probably should,” he said. of “peripheral units,” like fire departments The RDOS scored 554 out of a possible and parks and recreation commissions, 1,000 points on the audit, down from 810 were removed. in 2010. The Western News has filed a freedom Organizations need 800 points to pass. of information request for a copy of the full report. See SAFETY - Page 2 Joe Fries
Western News Staff
EYE ON THE PRIZE - Swedish goalie Joacim Eriksson of the Vancouver Canucks Young Stars takes a wide-eyed look at this shot as he reaches up to make the catch at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The Canucks Young Stars Classic began Thursday and continues through Monday with the final game between Canucks and Winnipeg Jets at 11:30 a.m. at the community rink. For more on the exhibition series see Page 21. Mark Brett/Western News
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