Eastway Tank, owner plead guilty in workplace blast that killed 6

The company at the centre of one of the deadliest workplace incidents in Ottawa has pleaded guilty to two charges, while the owner of the company has pleaded guilty to one.

On Jan. 13, 2022, Eastway Tank, Pump and Meter Ltd. employees Rick Bastien, Etienne Mabiala, Danny Beale, Kayla Ferguson and Russell McLellan died in a blast that destroyed the decades-old business on Merivale Road.

A sixth employee, Matt Kearney, succumbed to his injuries in hospital the next day, while a seventh person survived but suffered severe injuries.

Eastway and its owner Neil Greene were accused of breaching Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) "on or about" the day of the explosion.

In a joint submission, the Crown and defence lawyers for Greene, agreed he and the company would plead guilty to failing to ensure that diesel fuel to be used for the wet testing of trucks was not contaminated with gasoline or any other flammable liquid of substance.

The company also pleaded guilty for failing to provide failed to provide adequate information, instruction, and supervision to workers on safe fuel storage and handling procedures to protect the workers from the hazard of diesel fuel, used for the wet testing of trucks, becoming contaminated with gasoline or any other flammable liquid or substance.

Justice Mitch Hoffman still needs to decide what penalty to hand out.

Both company and owner faced charges

One year after the disaster, Ontario's Ministry of Labour charged Eastway and its owner Neil Greene with three identical counts each under the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act.

A months-long trial was scheduled to begin last month but was abruptly called off. The ministry told families instead to expect a guilty plea and for the matter to be "resolved" on April 5.

In the first charge, the ministry alleged Eastway failed to ensure that the process of loading and "wet testing" a truck happened a safe distance away from ignition sources.

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Wet testing involves loading a tanker with diesel or gasoline in order to calibrate equipment inside it.

Clockwise from top left: Matt Kearney, Etienne Mabiala, Danny Beale, Rick Bastien, Russell McLellan and Kayla Ferguson were killed by the Eastway Tank explosion. (Submitted photos)

The second charge accused Eastway of "splash" loading fuel into the truck.

That's what happens when someone opens a tank lid and "just pumps product into the opening with no control," said Chris Revers, who managed a tank manufacturing plant in Alberta for 16 years, in a previous interview with CBC.

"The product just splashes all over the tank, spilling on the tank [and] creating a fire or explosion hazard," Revers said.

The third charge alleged Eastway did not properly instruct workers on safe fuel storage or handling procedures.

More to come.