VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It will now be in the hands of the Crown to decide whether any charges will be laid after a pair of explosions killed four workers.

WorkSafeBC has completed its lengthy investigation into the explosions at the Babine Forest Products Company in Burns Lake in January and at the Lakeland Mills in Prince George.

Two workers were killed in each incident; at least 20 others were injuried.

WorksafeBC investigators are now working on putting together a package that they’ll forward to the Crown. It says it has also released safety information as it became known during the course of these investigations.

Roberta Ellis with WorkSafeBC says the Crown investigations are not criminal, but are under the authority of the Workers’ Compensation Act and could result in fines of up to $500,000 and maximum jail terms of six months.

She says investigations into both explosions have concluded that sawmill dust was an ignition factor in the blasts, but could not prove the dust was the sole factor in the explosions.

Ellis says WorkSafe BC has referred about a dozen cases to the Crown for further investigation since 1999.