WorkSafeBC said Monday that it has issued a penalty for a “high-risk and repeated violation” at a Victoria construction site that included not having fall protection in place.
The $43,359.04 fine has been issued to VPAC Construction Group.
“WorkSafeBC observed one of this firm’s workers conducting sheeting work on the 7:12 sloped roof of a residential building, said a WorkSafeBC news release. “No fall protection was in place, exposing the worker to a fall risk of about 6.7 m (22 ft.). The firm failed to ensure fall protection was used, a repeated and high-risk violation.”
WorkSafeBC said that manufacturing in B.C. has an injury rate that is 24-per-cent higher than the provincial average. In 2022, there were 5,579 time-loss injuries in the manufacturing sector in B.C. and 860 of these were serious injuries, said WorkSafe BC.
The construction industry in B.C. has an injury rate of 3.37, which is higher than the provincial average 2.24 (injury rate out of 100 workers). In 2021, there were over 7,000 time-loss injuries in the construction sector in B.C. and 1,592 of these were serious injuries, said WorkSafe BC.
The non-use of fall protection is an ongoing issue in the sector and resulted in 5,893 injuries in the past five-years, including 28 fatalities. Additionally, 164 administrative penalties totaling $1,027,997.55 were issued in 2022 to employers for lack of fall protection.
“Additionally, construction workers are most at risk of a fall from elevation if scaffolds or guardrails are not properly installed or if workers do not use fall protection equipment,” said WorkSafe BC.
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