VICTORIA - B.C. Ferries runs a safe company, but as one of the world's largest ferry fleets it must do everything it can to ensure safety is its top priority, its president said Monday.
David Hahn said B.C. Ferries, a former provincial Crown corporation, will implement the 41 recommendations contained in a safety review by B.C.'s former auditor general George Morfitt.
"There are things George has highlighted that we could make stronger, better, more uniform, and as I've said, we'll institute all of them."
The safety review, ordered by B.C. Ferries after one of its vessels sank last spring, recommends the company put safety at the top of its list in every facet of the company.
It also recommends the relationship between the corporation and its employees be improved.
"During the course of our work, we observed considerable tension in the relationship between the company and the union, that is, in our view, dysfunctional," said Morfitt's report.
The tension and dysfunction between the union and management "poses a significant impediment to resolving operational safety issues and continuously improving the safety management system."
Hahn said many of the union-management issues pre-date his arrival at B.C. Ferries in 2003, but the company and union are committed to resolving their differences.
"I think it's been a longstanding, probably dysfunctional relationship, but again I think we can find ways to work together," he said.
Morfitt recommends the company tackle the union-management problems through a comprehensive review of its entire safety system to determine what areas are working and what areas need improvement.
The company must strive to make safety its top goal, said Morfitt's report.
"Without such commitment, the benefits of providing a consistent high level of safety remain challenging," said the report.
B.C. Ferries is deeply committed to safety, but is prepared to do more to address Morfitt's report, Hahn said.
"How you make it (safety) culturally a stronger part of an organization is you start every meeting by talking about safety," he said.
"Every element of work, whether you're in the finance department or the marketing department - not just on the ships - has to think safety first."
Morfitt's report called on the company and union to work together to improve the safety system.
"We wholeheartedly embrace that concept," said Jackie Miller, B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' president. "Both sides committed this morning we would be working co-operatively together to implement the recommendations of Mr. Morfitt and go beyond that."
Also on Monday, B.C. Ferries said they would folllow a safety advisory issued by the Transportation Safety Board. It came after a Jan. 9 incident in which the ferry Quinsam rapidly backed away from the berth at Nanaimo after one of its mooring chains broke.
As a result, a pickup truck left on the loading ramp plunged into the water after it was left on the unsupported ramp. The driver of the vehicle managed to get out safely.
"B.C. Ferries agrees with the Transportation Safety Board's position that a more robust mooring arrangement would help ensure overall safety and immediately after the MV Quinsam incident, a review of its tie-up procedures and arrangements was initiated throughout the fleet," Hahn said in a statement.
An internal investigation into the incident is expected to be released later this week.
The Opposition New Democrats said it has taken too long for B.C. Ferries to recognize it must pay greater attention to its safety management system.
An effective safety management system means everyone who works on a vessel has a basic understanding of how the vessel operates, said NDP ferries critic Gary Coons.
The privately operated B.C. Ferries Services Inc. launched the safety review after the sinking last March of the Queen of the North, a vessel with 101 passengers and crew on board.
The vessel hit an island near Prince Rupert in northwestern British Columbia and sank. Two passengers are missing and presumed dead.
A report on the sinking by the Transportation Safety Board is expected to be released this spring. Morfitt's report does not specifically address the sinking.
Hahn said Morfitt's report concludes overall that B.C. Ferries operates a safe transportation system.
B.C. Ferries, serving coastal British Columbia with 36 vessels, carries up to 22 million passengers and eight million vehicles annually.
"The company directors, management and staff are highly committed to operational safety, both for the travelling public and for B.C. Ferries personnel," says Morfitt's report.
"At the same time, there are a number of areas identified in this report where safety and related administrative processes and procedures should be strengthened."
The report also questions the high volume of ferry traffic in a narrow area near Victoria known as Active Pass.
Hahn said the company is constantly concerned about the amount of pleasure boaters in the area.
