Recent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC

June 6, 2024

Construction related 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.

See additional summaries online.

Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Road construction
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024160850016
During blasting operations, a single rock (about 1 cubic foot in size) was ejected from the blast area. It struck and damaged high-voltage power lines on one side of a highway. Blast mats had been placed before the blasting began, and no workers or other persons were exposed to the ejected rock, as the blast hazard area, including the highway, had been closed to traffic, and the worksite had been secured.

Injury Type: Fractured leg
Core Activity: Road construction
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024194950008
An excavator with slings was being used to move a steel culvert. Two slings were attached to the same hook. One sling came loose and the culvert fell to the ground, striking a worker.

Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Bridge, overpass, or viaduct construction or repair / Excavation operation
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024197960001
A wall of concrete locking blocks, retaining pre-loaded soil above grade, collapsed unexpectedly during work hours. The wall was about 150 feet long and 12 feet high. No injuries were reported.

Injury Type: Bruising and soreness
Core Activity: Industrial, commercial, institutional, or highrise residential contracting or construction
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024197990004
At a four-storey residential construction site, a section of permanently installed wooden stairs (connecting the first and second levels) collapsed while two workers were on them. The workers fell 8–10 feet to the concrete landing. The stairs came to rest vertically between the wood-framed stairwell and concrete stairs below.

Injury Type: Burns
Core Activity: Electrical work / Sports and entertainment facility
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024182710037
A worker had completed inspection of a 600 V electrical panel and was in the process of re-energizing the panel when an arc flash occurred.

Injury Type: Multiple fractures (1 worker)
Core Activity: Steel frame erection, repair, painting, or bridge painting or cleaning
Location: Northern B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024157440006
Workers were adjusting a sea can on the ground. As they lifted the sea can to place a skid underneath it, a heavy metal structure fell from the top of the sea can, striking a worker.

Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Excavation operation
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024203080013
An excavator was digging a trench when its bucket severed a 2-inch gas line. The workplace and the surrounding area were evacuated. The utility owner repaired the line. No injuries were reported.

Injury Type: Suspected fractures
Core Activity: Low slope roofing
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024203080011
A young worker was making a preliminary inspection of a flat roof when they inadvertently stepped on a plastic skylight that had become the same colour as the roof due to weather and age. The skylight broke and the worker fell about 24 feet to the concrete floor below.

Injury Type: Burns, undetermined injuries
Core Activity: Plumbing, heating, vent, residential air conditioning, or central vacuum system installation or repair
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024203080014
A worker was connecting a pipe under a sink in a commercial kitchen when one of their arms contacted a live wire (61.9 amps) in an uncovered electrical panel.

Injury Type: Close call
Core Activity: Excavation operation
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-Apr	ID Number: 2024202990004
The bucket of a skid-steer loader contacted a gas service line, causing a gas leak. Workers and an adjacent home were evacuated.

Injury Type: Bruising
Core Activity: Welding services or ornamental metal installation / Crane operation / House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation
Location: Lower Mainland
Date of Incident: 2024-Apr	ID Number: 2024165370017
During the installation of a structural metal beam in a house, a crane placed the beam on a wall. When the rigging was removed and the crane began to retract, the rigging caught on a bolt. The beam was pulled off the wall, dislodging a second beam, and both beams fell to the ground. A young worker was brushed by one beam as it fell.

Injury Type: Burns
Core Activity: Plumbing, heating, vent, residential air conditioning, or central vacuum system installation or repair / Orchard
Location: Interior B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-Apr	ID Number: 2024163210006
A worker was testing the propane washer and dryer units in a mobile laundry trailer. During testing, one of the units exploded.

Injury Type: Fractured ankle
Core Activity: Steep slope roofing
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-Apr	ID Number: 2024162930002
During work on a house, a worker was stepping onto an extension ladder when they fell about 20 feet to the lawn below.

Injury Type: Injuries to head
Core Activity: Excavation operation
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C.
Date of Incident: 2024-May	ID Number: 2024194460003
An excavator was working alongside a highway. As the operator was closing the thumb on the bucket, a brick-sized rock wedged in the pinch-point flew toward the operator’s cab, broke through the windshield, and struck the operator.