Fatal accident in Burnaby penalized $58K by WorkSafeBC
The largest of 25 WorkSafeBC penalties for incidents in Burnaby in 2012 was for a fatal accident last June.
Lexspan Limited Partnership was penalized $58,820 for the incident, in which a worker was crushed after a large part of the lowbed trailer he was working on suddenly dropped while being repositioned by another worker operating the hydraulic controls, according to WorkSafeBC's 2012 enforcement report. The company was penalized for inadequate healthy and safety planning and training for the job.
It was among 260 penalties provincewide imposed on companies by WorkSafeBC for violations of occupational health and safety regulations and the Workers Compensation Act.
Wallmark Homes Ltd. received a penalty of $33,794 for a Burnaby incident in which a young worker broke his pelvis when an unstable soil bank collapsed at the worksite. The four-meter-tall (14 foot) soil bank was topped by an 800 kg (1,800 pound) section of a concrete retaining wall which landed on the worker's back, seriously injuring him.
The investigation determined the worksite was not properly prepared with safety precautions and the company failed to get the approval of a professional engineer that the excavation was safe for workers to enter.
Great Van Roofing and Drainage Ltd. was penalized $30,000 after its workers at a Burnaby worksite were found to be working on a sloped roof of a house without proper fall protection. The company has been penalized for similar violations in the past.
Also penalized for workers not using proper fall protection at Burnaby job sites were RG Roofing Ltd. ($15,000), BS Sanghera Roofing Ltd. ($7,500), Neodawn Painting Inc. ($6,442 for an incident where workers were painting the exterior of a highrise apartment building), SPS Roofing Ltd. (twice, $5,000 and $2,500), Low Cost Roofing 2001 Ltd. ($5,000), B&W Framers Ltd. ($5,000), Hiline Stucco Ltd. ($2,500), Insightful Healthy Homes Inc. ($2,500), Saloana Framing Ltd. ($2,500), and C&H Gill Tile Roofing Inc. ($1,000).
Most penalties in the province were related to inadequate fall protection (59 per cent) and exposing workers to asbestos (14 per cent), WorkSafeBC said, noting it has increased its enforcement capacity in recent years to focus more on industries where compliance is a problem, such as steep-slope roofing and asbestos abatement.
Other penalties imposed on companies at Burnaby worksites include:
Straightline Forming Ltd. was penalized $19,875, later adjusted to $13,913, for an incident in March 2012 when one of its workers operating a tower crane contacted a high-voltage power line with the crane's rigging. The power line fell, energizing the crane and parts of the worksite, putting other workers at risk and necessitating an evacuation of the worksite. The company failed to ensure the crane was far enough away from the power line, WorkSafeBC concluded.
Next Homes Const. & Renovations Ltd. received a $13,420 penalty for multiple asbestos-related violations including failing to ensure a qualified person identified any materials containing asbestos at the worksite where it was demolishing a house. It also failed to provide the required notice before removing stucco containing asbestos, and did not safely contain or remove the stucco before the demolition began.
Next Homes also received a $2,500 penalty after the company's principal "knowingly provided WorkSafeBC with false information about the firm's involvement in asbestos-removal activities at a residential demolition site," the enforcement report said.
3 A Demolition Ltd. was penalized $5,000 for allowing a worker to post a letter stating all asbestos-containing materials had been safely removed from a house being readied for demolition when actually, flooring containing asbestos was still inside. The company received another $2,500 penalty for failing to instruct and train workers on the health hazards of asbestos and how to prevent exposure, as well as allowing workers to walk into areas where asbestos had been disturbed without wearing protective equipment.
Saab Framing Ltd. received a $4,589 penalty for only providing a ladder for workers to access the upper floors of a multi-family residential building under construction, a repeat violation of a requirement to install stairs to each floor before building the next one.
Dynamite Concrete Pumping Ltd. received a $2,500 penalty for a repeated violation of failing to ensure its concrete pumper truck was set up with proper safety precautions at a worksite, which "put the truck at high risk of tipping over and injuring workers."
Whitestone Management Ltd. received two penalties of $2,500 and $1,000, and Albert Chandra was penalized $1,000, all for asbestos-related violations at worksites. Tatla Developments Ltd. received a $2,500 penalty for failing to provide a safe workplace, a "repeated high-risk violation."
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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