Abbotsford News

The RCMP pulled six of 15 farm worker vans off the road after they were inspected during spot checks in Abbotsford early Thursday morning.

The inspection blitz targeting farm worker vehicles was promised by the provincial government after a deadly Highway 1 crash on March 7 killed three Abbotsford women and injured 14 others.

The RCMP, WorkSafeBC, and Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) officers were out in force between 5 and 8 a.m. inspecting vans loaded with workers just south of Highway 1 on Sumas Way.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Beaudoin said commercial vehicle checks are standard and part of maintaining the wellness of the highway, but farm vehicle inspections are being stepped up.

“At this time of year more [farm labourers] are headed to work, and because of the collision last week, we are much more attuned to the sector,” he said.

Beaudoin said of the 15 vehicles checked, two “will never see the light of day again.”

Three drivers also had the wrong class of licence, and six vehicles were towed for mechanical repairs.

Mechanical violations and defects discovered in the checks included problems with steering and brakes, as well as improperly secured doors, incorrectly mounted seats, a lack of seatbelts.

Police investigating the March 7 crash have determined only two seatbelts were available in the 15-passenger van which was carrying 16 farmworkers and the driver.

The vehicle was required to have a seatbelt for each passenger.

Leo Belanger, a CVSE member on scene in Abbotsford, said two inspection teams would be operating throughout the Fraser Valley into the next week, and would be following up during the farming season.

Jeff Knight, spokesman for the transportation ministry, said inspections would likely continue until compliance levels reached an acceptable level.

“We’ll see what [numbers] come out of the inspections. Provincially the [out of service] rate averages between 19 to 20 per cent.”

It was to early to determine what the rates for farm worker vehicles were, Knight said.

Belanger said inspection teams were trying to limit the impact on workers.

“The whole focus is overall worker safety. We are not targeting workers. Enforcement is focused on drivers and employers,” he said.

A school bus was on hand to transport workers home or to work if the vehicle they were travelling in was condemned or towed.