Melvin: I totally agree with you. And so does my friend and OHS lawyer Ryan Conlin, who’s a member of our board. Here’s an excerpt from a piece in which he’s quoted as suggesting getting witnesses to sign (see last sentence:
“Following this, it is necessary to speak to any and all witnesses to the incident. This not only means speaking to those who were present at the time of the incident, but also those who may have information that can round out what may have happened. These potential witnesses include those with the same job or role as the injured party, any supervisors or trainers, or those who have relevant health and safety-related knowledge, Warning says. As an added step, Conlin suggests getting each witness to sign his or her statement.”
As I noted in my previous reply, the article was written 3 years ago by my predecessor and it comes right out of the WorkSafeBC guide book. I’m not sure what WorkSafeBC had in mind; my guess is that they suggested it to make witnesses feel at ease. But with all due respect, I think it’s bad advice and agree with you and Ryan. I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Just out of curiosity, are you a lawyer’ It sounds like you have some legal training. Glenn
