October and November 2014 Work Related Incidents Reported to WorkSafeBC

Injury Type: Fractured skull and arm

Core Activity: Tower crane operation

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014122700068

A tower crane operator crawled through the crane mast onto an unsupported filler piece on the deck and fell about 3 m (10 ft.) to the floor below.

Injury Type: Close call

Core Activity: Excavation work

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014175270011

A backhoe was excavating a trench when it snagged and damaged a 2-inch gas line, releasing natural gas. The worksite was immediately evacuated.

Injury Type: Close call

Core Activity: Dump truck operation

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014173250212

A dump truck was delivering a load of gravel (3/4-inch crush) to a workplace when it contacted low-voltage electrical and telecommunications wires strung between a municipal distribution pole and a service pole on the workplace property. The dump box was in a raised position and pushed the wires as the load was deposited, causing the service pole to fall over. No injuries were sustained, no electrical wires were broken, and electrical power did not contact the dump truck.

Injury Type: Fatal

Core Activity: Painting

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014165890098

A worker painting from a ladder fell about 10 feet to grade, sustaining fatal injuries.

Injury Type: Fractures of arm and lower body, chest injuries, abrasions

Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work

Location: Interior B.C.

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014163050081

A worker was walking on wet metal roofing material. The worker fell onto his stomach and slid off the roof, landing on the ground 22 feet below.

Injury Type: Fractured bones, internal injuries

Core Activity: Road construction

Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.

Date of Incident: 2014-Nov

ID Number: 2014171900088

The safety pin on a quick-change excavator attachment was not in place. This resulted in the bucket disengaging from the equipment and rolling backwards, striking a worker and pinning him against a cement sump.

Injury Type: Undetermined injuries

Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Oct

ID Number: 2014175290008

A worker was moving 2×4 lumber inside a partially formed basement. A gust of wind blew over a section of formwork 16 feet high by 36 feet long. As the worker tried to escape, he was struck on the back by the top plate and knocked to the ground.

Injury Type: Fractured vertebrae

Core Activity: Siding installation

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Oct

ID Number: 2014155270041

A worker was installing exterior wood siding at the second-storey level of a house under construction, without fall protection. The worker fell about 19 feet into a basement stairwell.

Injury Type: Upper-body strain, bruising to both legs

Core Activity: Hand digging an excavation

Location: Northern B.C.

Date of Incident: 2014-Oct

ID Number: 2014175160014

A worker on a construction site was digging an excavation by hand when the excavation collapsed, partially burying the worker.

Injury Type: Head laceration, minor injuries to lower body

Core Activity: Framing walls

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Oct

ID Number: 2014173250202

While constructing wood wall panels on an unguarded second floor, a worker slipped and fell about 11 feet to a concrete slab.

Injury Type: Close call

Core Activity: House construction

Location: Lower Mainland

Date of Incident: 2014-Oct

ID Number: 2014173250203

A full load of 7/16-inch plywood sheathing had been placed on roof trusses. Sometime overnight, the trusses collapsed and the sheathing fell through the roof framing and through two floors of framing, coming to rest on the bottom floor.