Construction incident summaries are based on information obtained as soon as possible after the incidents: they are preliminary and subject to change. Details have been edited to protect workers’ privacy.
A concrete pump truck was driving away from a construction site in heavy rain when it slid off the muddy roadway and became stuck. An excavator was used to help pull out the truck. The truck’s operator, who was close to the excavator, was inadvertently struck by the excavator’s bucket.
An excavator operator was digging test wells for new construction on an older property (building slated for demolition). The excavator had dug about 3 feet in depth when the bucket struck and cracked a 3-inch natural gas mainline. Emergency services and the utility owner were called immediately; the area was secured and evacuated until the natural gas was shut off. No one was injured.
Injury Type: Suspected fractures and internal injuries
Core Activity: Oil or gas pipeline construction or repair
Location: Northern B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Nov
A worker was servicing a light tower when their service truck unexpectedly moved. The worker was caught between the light tower and the service truck.
Injury Type: Laceration to leg
Core Activity: Site surface preparation / Manual tree falling and bucking
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
A worker was using a chainsaw to trim and buck fallen trees when the saw inadvertently contacted one of their legs.
Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Crane operation
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
A worker was driving a 20-ton mobile crane down a public road after conducting a pre-use inspection at the employer’s yard. The boom of the crane, which was still partially raised from the inspection, snagged overhead telecommunication lines.
Injury Type: Injury to head, laceration
Core Activity: Pile driving
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
A crane was being used to install sheet pile supports for constructing a large retaining wall. A worker on the sheet pile beam fell backward about 7 feet and struck the crane’s deck.
Injury Type: Suspected fracture to leg
Core Activity: Crane operation / Bridge, overpass, or viaduct construction or repair
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
The auxiliary hoist line and attached ball of a lattice boom crane was pulled over the top masthead, fell about 60 feet, and struck the cab of the crane. The worker was extricated, then transported to hospital by ambulance.
Injury Type: Laceration injuries to hand
Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
A worker was sitting on the top plate of an exterior wall using a handheld circular saw to trim a truss joist. The blade of the saw contacted one of the worker’s hands.
Injury Type: Fatal
Core Activity: Framing or residential forming
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2022-Oct
A worker was on a top plate, stripping formwork at a residential worksite. The worker was found unresponsive beside the formwork; they succumbed to their injuries.
Injury Type: Fracture in lower body (1 worker)
Core Activity: Excavator operation / Industrial, commercial, institutional, or highrise residential contracting or construction
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2022-Sep
Two workers were constructing a retaining wall of concrete locking blocks using an excavator. The worker on the ground became pinned between the block suspended from the excavator and the retaining wall.
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