WorkSafeBC | Published on: December 12, 2025
$627,000 in penalties are related to the 2024 death of Yuridia Flores
WorkSafeBC has updated its penalties database to include three administrative penalties totalling $1.3 million for health and safety violations in a series of crane-related incidents in 2024 and 2025.
The penalties include:
- Two penalties totalling $627,456.19 related to the tragic death of Yuridia Flores at the Oakridge Park construction site in February 2024. This includes a $514,831.53 administrative penalty to EllisDon Corporation, and a $112,624.66 administrative penalty to Newway Concrete Forming.
- A $688,589.56 administrative penalty to EllisDon Corporation related to two other crane-related incidents — one in Vancouver in April 2025 and one in Victoria in June 2025 — involving a tower crane loss of load. No serious injuries were reported.
WorkSafeBC uses a multi-faceted approach of consultation, education, and enforcement to ensure employers protect their workers from occupational health and safety risks. Enforcement escalates as necessary to address repeated non-compliance and to change behaviour.
The primary purpose of an administrative penalty is to motivate the employer receiving the penalty — and other employers — to comply with occupational health and safety legislation and regulations, and keep their workplaces safe.
The three penalties demonstrate that there are significant financial consequences for high-risk violations and repeated non-compliance with occupational health and safety requirements in B.C.
Crane safety in B.C.
Crane safety is a priority for WorkSafeBC. Following a comprehensive review of tower crane safety in 2024, WorkSafeBC concluded that the risks associated with cranes in B.C. are increasing as more cranes are in operation than ever before, and this work is taking place on increasingly complex, multi-employer worksites.
A comprehensive crane safety strategy has been developed to address increasing risks in the sector. The strategy includes:
- Strengthening operator certification: Ensuring the certification program continues to drive competence, safe-work practices, and align with evolving industry needs.
- Elevating workforce training and skills: Developing competencies and training programs for supervisors, riggers, and lift directors, and workers responsible for assembly and disassembly of tower cranes.
- Updating and aligning OHS regulations: Reviewing and refining crane and rigging provisions within the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) to reflect technological advances and complex work environments.
- Enhancing inspection requirements: Developing regulations defining inspection frequency and technical standards for tower crane integrity and control systems.
- Expanding inspection capacity and expertise: Increasing staffing and technical specialization within WorkSafeBC’s Provincial Crane Inspection Team to strengthen field coverage and consistency.
- Strengthening system partnerships: Supporting the BC Association for Crane Safety in delivering certification, data management, and employer/worker support.
In 2024, WorkSafeBC’s Provincial Crane Inspection Team conducted more than 1,500 crane-related inspections across B.C. and issued over 800 orders, including 75 stop-use orders and 36 stop-work orders.
Resources
Backgrounder
A summary of the three penalties is below.
EllisDon Corporation: $514,831.53
- This firm was the prime contractor at a highrise construction complex. WorkSafeBC attended the worksite in response to an incident. A concrete forming subcontractor was using a tower crane to lift a flytable from one floor to another. As the rigged flytable was being pushed, it accelerated out of the side of the building and fell to the ground, striking and fatally injuring a worker. WorkSafeBC’s investigation determined the firm had not conducted regular reviews of the subcontractors’ safe work procedures, did not confirm that a risk assessment had been conducted, and had not identified the lift on the day of the incident as a critical lift. In addition, the exclusion zone on the ground was inadequate and had not been controlled, and procedures and communication for spotters on the ground were inconsistent. The firm failed to ensure regular inspections were conducted to prevent the development of unsafe working conditions, and failed to ensure its workplace was planned and maintained to protect workers from danger. The firm also failed to ensure written lift plans were prepared for critical lifts and made available at the worksite. These were all high-risk violations. In addition, as prime contractor of a multiple-employer workplace, the firm failed to ensure health and safety activities were coordinated.
Newway Concrete Forming: $112,624.66
- This firm was providing concrete formwork services at a highrise construction complex. WorkSafeBC attended the worksite in response to an incident. A tower crane was being used to lift a flytable from one floor to another. As the rigged flytable was being pushed, it accelerated out of the side of the building and fell to the ground, striking and fatally injuring a worker. WorkSafeBC’s investigation identified multiple safety deficiencies in the firm’s work procedures, including a lack of training and communication for ground control workers and control zones, inadequate procedures for flying corner tables, a lack of risk assessments and inspections, and a lack of adherence to critical lift requirements. The firm failed to ensure a written lift plan was prepared for every critical lift and made available at the worksite, failed to ensure drawings and supplementary instructions for flyforms showed step-by-step procedures for each cycle, and failed to arrange work to prevent passing a load over any person. The firm also failed to ensure equipment was capable of performing its functions, and to install a curb whenever there was danger of equipment running off the edge of an elevated area. In addition, the firm failed to ensure a qualified supervisor supervised the erection and use of formwork, and failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety. These were all high-risk violations. The firm also failed to conduct regular inspections at intervals that would prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.
EllisDon Corporation: $688,589.56
- WorkSafeBC attended a worksite where this firm was the prime contractor in response to an incident. As a crane was moving a load of steel canopy components from a balcony to a lower level, the rigging sling failed when it was cut by the sharp edge of a canopy section and the load fell. WorkSafeBC determined the firm had not ensured detailed lifting plans were developed by contractors prior to lifting. At a second of the firm’s worksites, a tower crane lost its load while lifting core box formwork. WorkSafeBC determined the lift plans lacked details for handling multi-connected formwork panels and there was no system in place for inspecting work methods associated with safe rigging and lifting. In both incidents, the firm had not reviewed the lift plans prior to lifting. As prime contractor of a multiple-employer workplace, the firm failed to do everything reasonable to establish and maintain a system to ensure regulatory compliance. This was a repeated and high-risk violation.
Note that, in the appropriate circumstances, WorkSafeBC has the discretion to issue one penalty for multiple violations arising from different incidents.