Looking at WorkSafe BC work related incidents for the month of July, the jobsite is still a dangerous place for BC workers

Just recently the Council of Construction Associations (COCA) released the July workplace incident summary, from WorkSafeBC.  These reports, according to WorkSafeBC are published to alert employers and workers to hazards in their industry.

While I feel certain that since my mining days in the late 70’s, the number of, and severity of, workplace accidents have declined dramatically, the following list of incidents indicates the workplace is still unsafe for many British Columbians.

A worker was framing a wood frame wall using an air-nailer. The worker took a step back and inadvertently bumped into a second worker. The air-nailer contacted and released a 3-inch nail into the second worker. 

An arborist in the lower mainland was cutting the top (about 13 feet long) off a tree. As the tree top dropped to ground, a grounds-person walked into the arborist's work zone and was struck by the falling top, resulting in multiple injuries.

A worker driving on a public roadway on Coastal BC veered into the right-hand ditch. The vehicle struck a utility pole, then came to rest on its passenger side resulting multiple injuries. 

A BC interior forestry worker was driving to work in the employer's vehicle. The vehicle left the highway and the worker was fatally injured. 

A young worker in the lower mainland was performing low-speed testing of a three-wheeled vehicle in a parking lot. The test was a straight line with a U-turn at the end of the lot. As the worker made the U-turn, the three-wheeled vehicle rolled over – minor injuries

A worker in the Coastal BC region was operating and walking a grapple yarder down a 21 percent grade when the machine abruptly turned hard to the right, steering the machine over a steep bank (slope of 75 percent). The grapple yarder came to rest 60 feet below the road. The worker exited out the back door of the machine, climbed to the road, and was treated for head injuries by first aid, then transported to hospital  

A worker in the lower mainland was preparing to cut a steel I-beam. A passing overhead crane contacted the beam, which then struck the worker, who fell to the ground.  The accident resulted in knee injuries and a lacerated arm

As liquid propane was being transferred from one tank to another, in the lower mainland, 500 litres of it was released into the air. The liquid propane contacted one worker's leg, and a second worker was exposed to the propane gas. 

A worker in the lower mainland was performing building envelope remediation activities at a workplace. The worker was trying to access the first level of frame scaffolding by climbing up the cross-bracing between frames. The worker fell backward and struck the concrete sidewalk below resulting in head injuries. 

A mechanic in the lower mainland was working alone in a shed, repairing a forklift. While the forklift was running, the mechanic loosened the right-side load roller. The inner mast channel came down, crushing the worker's hand between the ratchet and the inner mast channel. 

On an underwater blasting operation on coastal BC, the blaster of record was preparing an electric blast cap while working from a flat-bottomed aluminum skiff (about 12 feet long). An unknown electrical energy source caused the blast cap to initiate prematurely on the deck of the skiff. The blaster of record and another worker were injured by shards of metal from the blast cap

A worker traversing a single 2x10 wooden plank, on the lower mainland, fell about 12 feet to grade below.

A worker on Coastal BC at a residential construction site was guiding a concrete truck out of the driveway. As the truck moved forward, the worker became caught between the house and the truck

Five workers on a flat roof in the BC Interior were applying torch-on roofing material using a propane torch system. A fire ensued, and two workers were injured

A worker in the lower mainland was using an order picker in a warehouse. The worker fell about 6 feet to the concrete slab

A worker in Northern BC was operating a tractor equipped with an under-body mowing deck to mow grass on a frontage road meridian ... the front wheel of the tractor went into a depression in the ground, causing the tractor to roll over ... the worker grabbed the underside of the mowing deck and contacted the spinning blade, resulting in an amputation

And then, there were numerous close calls ...

... The shotcrete support lining of an underground working section of a diversion tunnel project failed

... A work truck caught fire at an offsite work location. The work truck was destroyed by the fire and two trailers sustained damage

... crane operator in Northern BC was operating a folding-boom, truck-mounted crane using a remote control. As the load was lifted, the crane truck overturned

... An ammonia leak occurred inside a compressor room, triggering the alarms. Workers were evacuated and the fire department attended the scene

... An excavator was carrying out remediation work on a trench excavation when a large rock was dislodged and contacted a 2-inch natural gas main, resulting in an uncontrolled release of natural gas into the atmosphere

... A chlorine gas leak occurred in a pool disinfection room ... workers and the public were evacuated from the pool area ... the fire department assisted to safely release the chlorine into the atmosphere

... Two workers were on the roof of a 5-storey apartment building, installing a vent pipe to connect to a gas fireplace ... 15 minutes after the pipe had been installed, an explosion occurred on the third and fourth floors directly above the fireplace

... Upgrades to a highway involved blasting existing rock bluffs (to widen the highway). A planned blast resulted in the unplanned release of rock below the blast site

What’s being done to reduce these workplace accidents and incidents ... well I asked WorkSafeBC ... the Ministry of Labour ... and the BC Federation of Labour that very question.

Upon becoming Minister of Labour, Harry Bains brought a new vision for B.C.’s workers’ compensation system with a focus on increasing compliance with laws and standards put in place to protect the lives and safety of workers ~~ Ministry of Labour spokesperson.

According to WorkSafeBC, a large part of their focus, and resources, are directed toward industries and employers that have the greatest chance of serious injuries, fatalities and occupational disease.  That focus also would of course have the spotlight shone on employers with a history of repeated non- compliance with occupational health and safety requirements. According to WorkSafeBC these would, for example, include construction, forestry, manufacturing, and perhaps surprisingly to many -- health care.

Other areas of concern for serious workplace injury, and significant contribution to the serious-injury rate, include asbestos ... confined spaces ... cranes, film and production, marine accidents, oil and gas production, process safety ... agriculture ... as well as bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Two things, stood out for me, in the information provided by WorkSafeBC. 

The first was the provincial injury rate for 2018, which stood at 2.19 for every 100 workers; a considerable decline of 26 percent from 2008. 

And secondly, that work-related fatalities in BC had declined from 158 in 2017, to 131 in 2018 – a decline of 20 percent. It should be noted that fatalities related to occupational disease, primarily from asbestos exposure decades earlier, accounted for 50 per cent of the total fatalities in 2018. 

For the government, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour stated that ... “Minister Bains is strongly committed to making B.C. workplaces the safest in Canada, He believes that all workers deserve to go home safe and healthy at the end of the day”.

They went on to state that, “While we’ve had a significant decline in the average provincial injury rate and in work-related deaths over the years, Labour Minister Bains remains unfailingly committed to doing more to ensure fewer job safety incidents”.

When it comes to specific undertakings, a Labour Ministry spokesperson indicated that WorkSafeBC has hired more than 40 additional prevention and investigation officers, a reflection of efforts to enhance prevention, compliance and supports for injured workers. 

There have also been stepped up inspections -- more citations, fines and penalties – and more citations and stop work orders are being issued. (Since 2017 – 3% more inspections, and 16% more stop work orders).

As I mentioned early on, the workplace today is much safer than my days working in mining back in the mid / late 70s, but as the noted accidents and fatalities indicate, safety still has a long way to go.

Likely, more could have been presented around that from the BC Federation of Labour, however regrettably no response was provided by them.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Workers compensation system review: We appointed retired lawyer Janet Patterson to undertake a public engagement to look at ways to increase worker and employer confidence in the workers’ compensation system. In a comprehensive consultation process, Ms. Patterson heard from stakeholders, experts, employers, injured workers and their families. Her report with recommendations on improving the compensation system is expected in the fall of this year.

Amendments to the Employment Standards Act in 2018 provided better supports for working families and better protection for children. The new legislative amendments will raise the age that a child may work without an Employment Standards Branch permit from 12 to 16, except for light work, which will be permitted for 14 and 15-year-olds. WorkSafeBC data shows that every year between 2007 and 2017, workers aged 14 or younger have been injured on the job.

Asbestos ... government is taking action to keep workers, the public and the environment safe from the dangers of asbestos exposure. We’ve heard from the construction industry, municipalities, worker associations, homeowners and the public. The results of these consultations will help inform the actions and solutions that we need to take, because while fatalities from workplace accidents are down significantly, they are offset by an increase in deaths due to asbestos exposure from years ago.