VANCOUVER - The United Steelworkers union is making a new call for a public inquiry into two fatal British Columbia mill explosions based on a document a coroner's inquest has already considered.

The Steelworkers, WorkSafeBC and the BC Coroners Service all agree the document was entered into evidence at last spring's inquest into the 2012 explosion at Lakeland Mills in Prince George, B.C.

But the union — which withdrew part of the way through the inquest — said Friday that it only received a copy of the document recently through a freedom of information request.

"What was their strategy at that time," asked Stephen Hunt, the union's director. "Was it enforcement or were they being pressured by the industry not to enforce? And those are the questions that have to be answered. That goes to the heart of every worker in this province."

The document written Feb. 27, 2012 by WorkSafeBC manager Barry Nakahara followed the Jan. 20 explosion at the Babine Forest Products sawmill in Burns Lake but preceded the Lakeland Mills blast.

Four people were killed in the explosions and dozens more were hurt.

Nakahara wrote that WorkSafeBC needed to raise awareness among its officers about wood dust following the Babine explosion and other related fires.

"Industry sensitivity to the issue given the recent event and limited clarity around what constitutes an explosion could lead to pushback if an enforcement strategy is pursued at this time," he said.

Hunt said in a news release the document proves WorkSafeBC was more concerned about a negative response from industry CEOs than the health and safety of workers exposed to wood dust at B.C. mills and he wants an inquiry.

"We say that the inquest never did answer all the questions that people have, including us," he added in an interview. "The premier of the province promised that they would."

Hunt made a similar argument in a March, saying the union had lost confidence that the inquest would answer outstanding questions and as a result was withdrawing.

Al Johnson, vice-president of prevention services at WorkSafeBC, questioned why the union was making an issue out of the document when their lawyers had it before the inquest.

He said it was written by a manager as a "talking paper" that could be shared with his officers and used in interactions with the industry.

"There was no intention of hiding anything or suggesting that industry was somehow sensitive in an inappropriate way," he said.

Coroner Barb McLintock also questioned why the document had become an issue now.

"You know we worry about inquests if information comes up that wasn't available at the inquest, then that might well be an issue," she said. "But since even they're saying, 'well, the information was around at the inquest,' then it was available for everybody to ask questions about it at that point."

She said a lawyer, Alexander Dutton, was serving as inquest counsel at the inquiry, and survivors and family members could have raised issues with him, even if the Steelworkers had withdrawn from the process.

"This was a very open process, all these documents were well canvassed, you know," she said.

Separate inquests into the mill explosions each made 33 recommendations. The B.C. government introduced legislation Thursday based on recommendations made by the coroners' juries.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2015