WorkSafeBC has released its annual penalty report and a number of companies have been fined for incidents that took place at worksites in South Delta last year.
Mainland Civil Works Inc. was fined $20,900.11 after one of the company's young workers suffered serious injuries when she was struck by a vehicle after she was assigned traffic control duties at a work site near an intersection with a heavy volume of traffic. According to WorkSafeBC, the worker had little experience working under those conditions and was unsupervised. The firm also violated traffic control regulations by failing to ensure traffic control flags were in place before work began.
The company appealed the fine. WorkSafeBC's review division upheld the penalty and the company launched a review with the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal, which is an independent board.
Cosmos Furniture was fined $11,450.80 after WorkSafeBC found numerous safety violations at its Delta warehouse, including: the warehouse was overstocked to the point employees had to reach, lift and move furniture while in awkward positions, putting them at risk of injury; fire exits and exit routes were blocked by stored furniture, and the company failed to conduct fire drills and inspections; and it repeatedly failed to provide workers with adequate instruction, training and supervision.
The company appealed the fine but WorkSafeBC's review division upheld it.
Navco Construction Corp. was fined $5,861.15 after an employee was found to be working without the required fall protection on a roofing job at a Tsawwassen home. The employee was working on a sloped, unguarded roof of a two-storey house and there was plastic sheeting and other materials on the roof that increased the worker's risk of slipping or tripping.
The company has appealed the fine and it is under review.
Taj Roofing Ltd. was fined $3,112.65 after the principal and four other workers were found working without the required fall protection on a roof in Delta. The employees were working at heights ranging from 5.5 to seven metres above grade and were found to be wearing fall protection harnesses that were not connected to anchor points.
Another roofing company, Garibaldi Roofing Company Ltd., was fined $2,500 after a supervisor and two other workers were working about 6.5 metres above grade on a sloped roof in Delta. The workers were wearing harnesses but they were not connected to lifelines or anchor points.
Effective Contracting Ltd. was fined $2,500 after it failed to safely contain or remove all materials containing asbestos from two Delta homes before they were demolished.
