Family seeks answers in worker’s death
Workplace death being investigated by B.C. Ferries, RCMP and WorkSafeBC
The large and close-knit family of a B.C. Ferries employee who died at work is grieving while hoping the investigations provide answers to how he died.
When welder Kulwant Chohan failed to return to his Surrey home at 3 p.m. Friday after his shift at B.C. Ferries’ Deas Dock maintenance facility, his family became worried.
As the hours went on, his family became more and more concerned. They drove to the facility that evening, saw his car in the parking lot, and searched for him, calling his name in the works yard along the Fraser River. On Saturday, divers recovered his body from the river.
“We just want to know what happened. My uncle is a very careful person. He always checked in with his family,” said his nephew Danny Chohan. “He just didn’t come back.”
Kulwant Chohan, 57, worked for B.C. Ferries for 26 years as a welder. He leaves a wife and a daughter.
“It’s just brutal. Something like this shouldn’t have happened. They didn’t know he was missing,” Danny Chohan said. “It’s just devastating.”
The extended Chohan family runs a large plant nursery in Surrey. “It’s going to be a big loss for us,” said Danny Chohan.
Kulwant Chohan was a calm and happy man, said his nephew. He was the kind of person who would stop and say hello to those he knew, he said.
He would take those extra moments to ask people how they were, how their kids were, all with a genuine smile on his face.
Now, his workplace death is the subject of investigations by the RCMP, B.C. Ferries and WorkSafeBC.
In an email, Graeme Johnston, president of the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union, said: “We are incredibly saddened by the loss, and our thoughts are with the member’s family and coworkers.”
Johnston said two union representatives are participating in a “divisional inquiry” by B.C. Ferries.
In a memo to employees he said: “Please take a moment to reflect on the loss, to hold your family and loved ones a bit closer tonight, and to remember to stay safe — everyone deserves to come home from work safe and sound.”
In an email to Postmedia on Tuesday, B.C. Ferries said: “On Saturday, we learned that one of our employees working at our fleet maintenance unit in Richmond fell into the Fraser River on Friday. Police and search and rescue authorities recovered the body of our colleague Saturday.
“This is extremely distressing news for all of us and our hearts go out to his family and friends, to our employees who work at the fleet maintenance unit alongside this person, and to our entire B.C. Ferries’ family.”
In an email Tuesday, WorkSafeBC said: “At this time, we are not able to discuss any details while the investigation is underway. The purpose of the investigation is to determine the cause of the incident, and any contributing factors, to help prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.”
There were 140 work-related deaths in B.C. in 2019 — 84 were the result of occupational disease, 40 were due to traumatic injuries and 16 involved motor vehicle accidents.