This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

WorkSafeBC

banner image

This page contains summaries of Notice of Incident (NI) reports received by WorkSafeBC. This information may help you to prevent similar accidents in your workplace.

THE NI INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Some details have been edited to protect the privacy of workers involved.

Completed WorkSafeBC investigation reports for selected incidents are available online, sorted by industry sector.

All Sectors - Incident Summaries

All Sectors | Construction | Manufacturing | Primary Resources | Public Sector | Service Sector | Trade | Transportation & Warehousing | Young Worker

All Sectors incident summaries from other dates

2009 newest incidents (updated November 12, 2009)

Injury Type : Injury to shoulder
Core Activity : Oilfield welding
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009144250163
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A service rig was being used to remove a large-diameter piece of pipe (production casing). The winch line from the service rig had been attached to the casing bowl to hold it in position. The steel casing bowl section suddenly separated from the casing and struck a worker.
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Oil or gas field servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490110
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was driving an SUV on a resource road, heading to a drilling lease location. The road was icy and at one slippery patch, the vehicle went into a skid, sliding sideways and rolling into the ditch. The worker was not seriously injured.
Injury Type : Close call New Item
Core Activity : Moving a drilling rig
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009144250156
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct

A drilling rig derrick (about 138 feet long) was being transported between 2 large-bed trucks. The rear truck got too close to the edge of the road and slid into the ditch, damaging the derrick. The derrick had to taken away for repairs and recertification, but no workers were injured.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Wire cable manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410215
Date of Incident : 2009-Sep

A 600-ton press was operating when its die assembly was ejected, fatally injuring a worker.
Injury Type : Lacerations to both legs
Core Activity : Fence installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009110750593
Date of Incident : 2009-Sep

A worker was using a 5-inch angle grinder equipped with a 7-inch cutting wheel to disassemble a wrought-iron fence. The worker had completed partial cuts to three sections of fence when the fence fell onto the worker. The 900-pound section of fence pinned the worker to the ground, and the grinder landed atop the worker with the switch locked in the "on" position. The grinder was being used without guards because of the oversized blade.
Read a hazard alert about a worker who died while using a handheld grinder to cut a wrought-iron fence:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?reportid=33277
Injury Type : Fractures and internal injuries
Core Activity : Farming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163270196
Date of Incident : 2009-Sep

A worker was attempting to bypass-start a tractor from the ground. The tractor engaged in gear and its rear wheels ran over the worker.
Read a hazard alert about an accident in which a worker died while bypass-starting mobile equipment:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=33152
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Gas well servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009165800095
Date of Incident : 2009-Sep

A mobile crane was moving a coiled tubing injector head (a device used to feed continuous piping into and out of a well) from the well head onto the transportation cradle. The load unexpectedly dropped 3 feet and became embedded in the rig matting (wooden mats supporting the drill rig).
Injury Type : Fatal (non-worker)
Core Activity : Commercial garbage collection
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410213
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A pedestrian died as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving a garbage truck.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Integrated forest management
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009113820240
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

During the construction of a logging road, fly rock from a blast struck and damaged two vehicles that had been driven into the danger area.
Watch a slide show about another fly rock incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/SlideShows.asp?ReportID=34853
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site surface preparation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009116120253
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

An excavator was travelling along a roadway. As it crested the top of a hill, its boom contacted an overhead 7.2-kV power line.
Injury Type : Soreness
Core Activity : General trucking
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157600191
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A tractor pulling two flatbed trailers of 3-high lumber packages took a wide turn to enter an open gate. The trailers and load flopped off the shoulder of the road, turned onto their side, and pulled the tractor cab with them.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530300
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A natural gas service line was ruptured during excavation for a sewer line. Local residences were evacuated until the gas company shut off the gas flow.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490305
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A skid-steer front-end loader with an auger attachment was digging a hole for the installation of school playground equipment. The auger contacted an energized underground conductor.
Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155730167
Date of Incident-Aug

A homeowner was laying out floor joists on the second floor of a home under construction when he stepped backward onto an unsecured joist that twisted. He fell about 20 feet to gravel below. No form of fall protection was in use.
Injury Type : Bruising to head, neck, back, hands
Core Activity : Acute care facility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009116080316
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

At an acute care facility, a psychiatric patient leapt over the intake-area counter and repeatedly punched a nurse.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae and facial bones
Core Activity : Residential tree falling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920201
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

An unregistered tree faller/topper was attempting to fall a slender (7 inches in diameter) 55-foot-tall tree in a homeowner's backyard. The tree struck a 10-foot-high stub about 20 feet away. The tree rocked on the stub, kicked back, and struck the faller.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); serious injuries (1 worker)
Core Activity : Barge operations
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009154930270
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

Two workers were travelling back to their employer's home base when they were involved in a single-vehicle MVA. Their vehicle rolled over, and both workers were ejected from the vehicle. One worker sustained fatal injuries. The second worker (a young worker) suffered numerous serious injuries.
Injury Type : Multiple fractures
Core Activity : Blueberry farming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163270181
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A blueberry picker was run over by a motor vehicle backing up.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Land clearing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009155980274
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

An excavator ruptured a 3/4-inch gas line while excavating for a driveway.
Injury Type : Arm and chest pain
Core Activity : Research diving
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700182
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker was in the boat after completing a second dive when he experienced arm and chest pains.
Injury Type : Serious burns to arm, neck
Core Activity : Auto service
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030336
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

As a worker was removing antifreeze from a radiator, the upper radiator hose dislodged from the engine.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Equipment rentals
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009163050222
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A crane operator was preparing a 24-ton mobile crane for transport when the lifting chain doubled up on itself, causing the three-part block to fall and swing into an overhead electrical line.
Injury Type : Broken ribs, lung injury
Core Activity : Siding installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117080238
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker was installing siding while standing on a manufactured sawhorse (about 3 feet above grade). The sawhorse was resting on uneven and unstable ground. The worker fell off the sawhorse, onto a wooden crate.
Injury Type : Fatal (missing and presumed drowned)
Core Activity : Helicopter operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009114050277
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A helicopter was helping to fight a wildfire. It hovered above a river, filling a water bucket attached to the aircraft by a long line. Suddenly the helicopter fell into the river, and the pilot (the lone occupant) was swept downstream by the fast current.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009155980282
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

An excavator was digging drainage for a commercial business when it ruptured a 2-inch gas main.
Injury Type : Leg abrasion, bruising
Core Activity : Installing rebar cage
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710235
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

While moving an 18-metre-long rebar cage, a zoom-boom forklift became unstable and tipped onto one side. Two riggers operating tag lines were not injured; the forklift operator sustained minor injuries.
Injury Type : Smoke inhalation (6 workers)
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009157440205
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

An edger operator heard a bang and immediately noticed flames beside the edger. By the time he had radioed to report a fire, flames had reached the ceiling. The mill was evacuated, but the edger operator and five nearby workers suffered from smoke inhalation. Local firefighters extinguished the blaze, whose cause is unknown.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating for water line repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157520230
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

While digging for water line repair, an excavator contacted a primary conductor, causing problems in the nearby primary transformer.
Injury Type : Fractured ribs
Core Activity : Log hauling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490294
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

The operator of an empty log transporter was injured when the truck failed to negotiate a right-hand curve and travelled into the ditch on the left side of the roadway.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Window installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117670202
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A work platform with a telescoping boom was being used to install windows. When the platform needed to be repositioned, the boom was retracted and traffic control was set up. A car travelling at high speed contacted the base of the platform.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Equipment transport
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117670204
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker drove a large forklift onto a low-bed transport truck. The worker had exited the cab when the forklift rolled off the side of the trailer and landed on its side.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Dump truck operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165570099
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A tandem dump truck backed in and dumped its load, then pulled ahead with the box still raised. The box caught and broke overhead power and communications lines.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Backhoe operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161950528
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A backhoe was digging a trench in a roadway when its bucket ruptured a gas line (60.3 mm in diameter) about 0.7 metres below grade.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Gas production
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490100
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

At an active sour gas processing facility (a facility that produces hydrogen sulfide gas), a 4-inch pipeline ruptured, releasing sour gas into the atmosphere at the site. Workers were immediately notified of the rupture and release, and they evacuated the site. The emergency shutdown system for the plant was successfully activated without injury or exposure to the four workers employed in the area.
Injury Type : Leg wound
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009159110343
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker was trying to clear a jam in a pneumatic-coil nail gun. He rested the gun on his leg while he worked on it. When he closed the nail chamber cover, the gun discharged a 2.25-inch spiral nail into his leg.
Read a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Scrapes, bruises
Core Activity : Wood product manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160198
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker was waiting for a forklift to remove a waste container. Behind him, a second forklift backed up with a load of wood. It struck and pinned him against the waste container.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Moving an oil and gas drilling rig
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009158820219
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A pole truck was lifting and separating a laid-down derrick (an oil and gas drilling derrick) when the structural beams on the derrick bent. The wrong lifting points were being used.
Injury Type : Crushed fingertip
Core Activity : Smelter
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009093720199
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A young worker's finger got caught in the pinch point of an anode rack.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Erecting steel I-beams
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165810108
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

As a worker cut the last of three steel bands off a 13-foot bundle of I-beams, the I-beams suddenly released and landed on his leg.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Framing and forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165810102
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A tracked excavator was re-positioning a trench cage when the knuckle of its boom contacted an overhead 14.4-kV power line. An emergency crew from the utility company came to the site. No one was injured.
Injury Type : Face and back injuries
Core Activity : Forest fire fighting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009155980269
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker was felling a 25-foot hemlock tree (10 inches in diameter) on a slope. As it fell, the tree became hung up on two saplings. As the worker tried to fell the saplings, the hemlock came free and struck the worker.
Injury Type : Scratches, bruises
Core Activity : General trucking
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163730214
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

Two workers were loading an old refrigerator onto the back of a 5-ton truck when the truck started to roll backwards down a hill. One worker jumped clear of the truck and sustained no injuries. The other worker held on to the back of the truck as it struck two parked vehicles and a telephone pole. The truck did not have wheel chocks in place, and the emergency brake was not adjusted properly.
Injury Type : Concussion, head laceration
Core Activity : Retail bakery
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960290
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A worker accessing a storage room fell through an open, unguarded floor hatch.
Injury Type : Ammonia inhalation (2 workers)
Core Activity : Fruit or vegetable packing and storage
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009095610350
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

Two workers inhaled ammonia released from a faulty isolation valve on a roof-mounted compressor.
Injury Type : Back injury
Core Activity : Product delivery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165810100
Date of Incident : 2009-Aug

A boom truck was travelling along a residential street. While making a left-hand turn, the vehicle tipped onto the driver's side.
Injury Type : Minor injuries to head
Core Activity : Home renovation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155730154
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was standing on a ladder pulling nails from wood siding. The worker slipped and fell 4 feet to the concrete surface below.
Injury Type : Head injury
Core Activity : Painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830162
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was on a ladder (16 feet above ground) painting fascia boards on a house when the ladder slipped out from under him.
Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156240229
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A thief claiming to be armed with a gun demanded money from a restaurant cashier. The cashier handed over the money from the cash register and the thief left.
Injury Type : Crush injuries
Core Activity : Cruise ship operations
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161950510
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was using a chain hoist (half-ton capacity) to install a loading bay work platform on the port side of a cruise ship. The steel platform (about 500 kg) was dislodged and fell from its position, striking and pinning the worker on the ship's deck.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Gantry crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009137102866
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An employer-manufactured gantry hoist was hoisting and moving a power generator (60--70 tons) when the structure failed. The load fell, narrowly missing workers.
Injury Type : Cuts to arm and body
Core Activity : Brushing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009152480224
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was using a chainsaw to cut down vegetation growing around seedlings when he fell onto the running chainsaw bar.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Lawn maintenance
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160850151
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A tractor lawn mower ejected a rock (1.5-inch circumference) through the open door of an adjacent building. The rock narrowly missed three workers at the reception desk before striking a computer.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Planer mill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124120191
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A self-propelled telescopic boom lift was being serviced from the ground when its boom contacted a 25-kV power line.
Injury Type : Fractured hip
Core Activity : Control panel manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108620125
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was carrying material while descending a 6-foot stepladder. He lost his footing and fell to the concrete floor.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132534
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A remotely operated tower crane was moving about 5,000 pounds of concrete siding material from a flatbed truck to a job site. The material was hoisted over an exterior deck while the tower crane operator moved to the upper deck to land the load. The brakes did not hold the load, and the material landed on the upper exterior deck, then slid down onto a lower deck.
Injury Type : Amputated finger, broken finger
Core Activity : Pulp mill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2009110210107
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was inserting wood blocks in a wood grinder when he lost his footing.
Injury Type : Amputation of hand
Core Activity : Shake and shingle mill
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108440292
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was trimming cedar shingles when his hand contacted the running blade of the band saw.
Injury Type : Injuries to ribs, lung, shoulder
Core Activity : Tree trimming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157600154
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was on a ladder, trimming branches off a maple tree. As one branch was cut, it fell against the ladder, and the worker fell about 20 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Ranching
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009140970199
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

During extreme weather (suspected tornado), a worker was about to seek shelter in a barn when the barn collapsed. The worker was pinned between rafters of the fallen barn and the vehicle that he had exited.
Injury Type : Head laceration, possible concussion
Core Activity : Formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710194
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A young worker was dismantling formwork and falsework when a piece of 3/4-inch plywood (2 feet by 5 feet) came free and struck him.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Manual tree falling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009161740137
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A faller bucking the roots off a windfall ended up underneath the roots with fatal injuries.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Dredging
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117670160
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was fatally injured when a pneumatically operated flap valve (26-inch diameter) on a dredge suction line was inadvertently activated and closed. The worker was pinned between a bulkhead and the external moving parts of the valve.
Injury Type : Fatal (2 workers)
Core Activity : Aircraft operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165830057
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A twin-engine airplane crashed with two workers on board.
Injury Type : Shattered bones
Core Activity : Road paving
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157270182
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was unloading a packer from the back of a 3-ton flatbed truck parked on a 10 percent grade. After the worker had inched the packer forward to slacken the tie-down chains, the truck began to move forward. The worker jumped, landing on the pavement.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Crawler crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165410070
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Two workers were rigging a load to a crawler crane's number 1 main line when the number 2 main line released and swung like a pendulum. The headache ball on the number 2 line struck one of the workers, who dove over nearby material to avoid being struck again on the return swing.
Injury Type : Electric shock, head laceration
Core Activity : Elevator servicing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009112010025
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

While working on top of an elevator car, a worker contacted a live 270-volt wire. The electrical current caused the worker to repeatedly hit his head against a wall until he was able to break free.
Injury Type : Injuries to neck, head
Core Activity : Sewer system installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161950501
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An excavator was being used to hoist and install a precast concrete manhole in an excavation. A worker standing in the excavation, adjacent to the manhole barrel, was struck by the manhole lid (weighing 5,390 pounds).
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Oil and gas trucking
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490095
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An oil field tank truck was leaving an oil production facility hauling a load of produced water. The access road was muddy and very slippery, and the truck began to slide into the ditch. The driver stopped the truck. As the truck sat on the edge of the road, the shoulder gave way and the truck slid sideways into the ditch and rolled onto its side.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165570071
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was hammering a block wall with a hydraulic breaker (jackhammer) attached to a skid-steer front-end loader, about 10 feet above grade. The breaker component dislodged from the front boom, landing in the cab.
Injury Type : Lacerated arm
Core Activity : Drywall installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117670158
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

On a construction site, a worker exiting the building was struck by a falling tool. The tool had been dropped inadvertently by a worker on a telescoping work platform several storeys up.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161770203
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was doing roofing work from the top of a 24-foot aluminum extension ladder. The feet of the ladder were placed on a partial sheet of plywood, which in turn was placed on top of roofing debris in a garbage disposal bin. The base of the ladder moved, causing the worker to fall backwards about 20 feet and land on the top edge of the bin.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157270173
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Workers were adjusting trusses to correct the roof profile of an octagon-shaped building under construction. To make the adjustments, they removed one brace. Five minutes later they heard a loud snap at the opposite end of the roof. The entire roof structure, about 36 trusses, collapsed into the building.
Injury Type : Loss of consciousness, scrapes
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009157580172
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker entered a confined space (about 230 cm deep by 100 cm diameter) to shut the valve on a 2-inch water line. When the worker reached the bottom of the space and leaned over the valve, he lost consciousness. A worker who was standing by called for help. Three workers removed the unconscious worker from the confined space.
View three short videos about identifying, testing, and rescuing from confined spaces:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?ReportID=35168
Injury Type : Chest and back injuries (2 workers)
Core Activity : Ambulance operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850176
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

During an emergency call, an ambulance was involved in a motor vehicle crash. Both paramedics in the vehicle were injured.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009111110268
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A 10-ton load of pile pipe (70 feet long, 36 inches in diameter) was being lifted by two separate machines. At one end of the load was a 20-ton hoist with a non-rotating telescopic boom. At the other end was a 36-ton forklift. The load became unstable, causing the hoist to fall over.
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Electrical installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165830053
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Two workers were moving an electrical cabinet (946 pounds) from a wooden pallet onto the forks of a hand pallet jack. The cabinet fell over and landed on one of the workers (a young worker).
Injury Type : Injuries to head, neck
Core Activity : Convenience store
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009112010022
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

During an attempted robbery, a worker in a convenience store was assaulted.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Brushing under power line
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009116090014
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker felled a sapling onto an energized high-voltage power line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710220
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An excavator boom contacted the neutral line located below three 12-kV overhead power lines. When the boom was moved away, the utility pole holding up the overhead power lines began to sway. Two overhead power lines moved into close proximity, resulting in an electrical arc flash, tripped fuse, and power outage.
Injury Type : Serious injuries
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165810095
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A young worker was seriously injured when he fell about 16 feet from a roof to the ground (concrete). No fall protection system was in place.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Mushroom farming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163270168
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Fire destroyed the production facility at a mushroom farm.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132542
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

The jib of a lower tower crane contacted the load line of a higher tower crane.
Injury Type : Fractured nose, lacerated face
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530258
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was turning a water valve when the water pressure blew a 2-inch steel cap off the pipe. The cap struck the worker.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); serious injuries (1 worker)
Core Activity : Travelling to worksite
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009152480212
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Two young workers were travelling to a worksite when their vehicle rear-ended a 5-ton van making a left turn. The worker in the passenger's seat died; the worker who was driving suffered serious injuries.
Injury Type : Injured shoulder
Core Activity : Heavy equipment repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163730210
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was working on the engine of a truck parked uphill on a very steep incline. A strong gust of wind pushed the hood down onto the worker, knocking him to the ground.
Injury Type : Fatal (non-worker)
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009119700137
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

During construction of a home, a non-worker was on a 6-foot stepladder when he fell to the ground (about 4 feet), sustaining fatal injuries.
Injury Type : Bruised leg and arm
Core Activity : Installing soffits
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710217
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A young worker was on a stepladder near the edge of the 11th floor of a high-rise building. The worker fell off the stepladder and dropped about 4 feet before his personal fall arrest system stopped his fall. The worker pulled himself back up onto the 11th floor.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site preparation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710214
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

While digging in a tree planter, an excavator damaged the conduit housing a high-voltage (12-kV) conductor. The lines inside the conduit were not damaged and the outer casing was repaired.
Injury Type : Hand injury
Core Activity : Water bombing fires
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450244
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A single-engine water bomber crashed and sank while attempting the first skim fill of the shift. The aircraft's landing gear may not have been retracted.
Injury Type : Back pain and swelling, difficulty breathing
Core Activity : Steel stud installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710213
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was working from a two-step drywall sawhorse when he fell. The worker reported that he fell because the sawhorse shook.
Injury Type : Fractured wrist
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030306
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was descending from the top of an entrance archway onto a scaffold system when he fell about 5 feet to the pavement.
Injury Type : Exposure to a noxious substance
Core Activity : Oil or gas operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530256
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Someone threw a rock through the window of an office, then released a noxious substance (suspected to be pepper spray) into the office. When workers arrived at the office, they experienced throat and nose irritation and started coughing. All workers were sent home.
Injury Type : Respiratory irritation, chest pain
Core Activity : Home improvement centre
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009119270060
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Workers and customers were evacuated from a store after a pungent, irritating odour was detected. One worker needed medical treatment.
Injury Type : Undetermined injuries (several workers)
Core Activity : Tree fruit harvesting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165880123
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A helicopter had been hired to hover over an orchard and blow rainwater off fruit to prevent cracking. Workers picking fruit were not cleared from the orchard when the helicopter arrived. The rotorwash caused workers to fall off their ladders, ladders to fall onto workers on the ground, and galvanized picking pails to become airborne.
Injury Type : Multiple fractures
Core Activity : General trucking
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160811
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was securing a load on a flat-deck truck. He climbed on top of the load (7 to 8 feet above grade), tripped, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.
Injury Type : Electrical burns
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157530211
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was removing a temporary power conduit located inside a live electrical service panel (600-volt) when he contacted the bus bars with the conduit.
Injury Type : Partially amputated finger
Core Activity : Planer mill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124120203
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A young worker was moving fallen 2x4 boards off a limit switch arm using a pike pole that was anchored to an outfeed chain. The pole jammed in the chain run, flung backwards, and pushed the worker's fingers against the stacker infeed chains.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450242
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A planerman entered a trim saw house to change a 22-inch trim saw blade. Just as he finished changing the blade, a worker inadvertently restarted the saw system. The planerman immediately exited the saw house area. Earlier, his lockout procedure had been interrupted when another worker tried to troubleshoot a separate problem. The planerman had not finished applying all of the locks required to lock out the saw blades securely.
Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Resort operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530249
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A former employee came to a workplace while intoxicated and provoked a heated discussion with a worker. The worker felt threatened and left the area to get help from a supervisor. No injuries were sustained.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Overpass construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700167
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A torch was being used to cut the top of metal girders on an abutment wall. The expanded polystyrene insulation behind the foundation wall caught fire.
Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Logging
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160194
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A runaway log went past the chokerman and struck another log. The struck log scissored back, striking the chokerman in the back.
Injury Type : Fractured shoulder, broken ribs
Core Activity : Tree topping
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160809
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

To top a tree, a worker was on an extension ladder leaned against the tree, about 20 feet above grade. When the cut was completed, the top of the tree fell and struck the worker. The worker then fell to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Auto service
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165870115
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A wooden racking system collapsed when a worker gave the racking a push.
Injury Type : Strained back, hip
Core Activity : Hydro-vac services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490268
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

To locate a broken water line, a worker was hydro-vacuuming an excavation underneath a mobile home. The excavation sides collapsed onto the worker's lower legs, causing him to stumble.
Injury Type : Multiple fractures
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124120208
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was standing next to a service truck on the shoulder of the road when he was struck by a passing transport truck.
Injury Type : Serious injuries to head and upper body
Core Activity : Taxi service
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490092
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

In the early morning hours, a taxi was dispatched to pick up a passenger outside an apartment building. The passenger got into the taxi, pulled out a wrench, and severely beat the driver.
Injury Type : Concussion, bruising, abrasion
Core Activity : Installing brick fascia
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161950513
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Wooden shoring posts and hydraulic jacks were being used to raise deflected areas of a suspended concrete slab within a concrete low-rise building. A wooden shore post (4 inches by 6 inches by 95 inches) fell from the seventh floor and struck a worker on a hydra-lift work platform at the fourth-floor level. The post glanced off the worker's hard hat before striking him.
Injury Type : Possible concussion (1 worker); lacerated foot, sprained arm (1 worker)
Core Activity : Tug and barge operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161530138
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A tugboat capsized while towing a fuel barge.
Injury Type : Fatal (non-worker)
Core Activity : Whitewater rafting
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009139050058
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

On a whitewater rafting trip, two rafts spilled guests and one guide into the river. One guest drowned.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450235
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

At a commercial construction site, lubrication pits were covered with 3/8-inch plywood hatch covers. A worker walked onto a hatch cover, it failed, and he then fell 5 feet 10 inches to a metal mezzanine, sustaining fatal injuries.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009116120204
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An excavator working in a roadway near a mall and homes ruptured a 2-inch gas line. Gas flowed for about an hour before it was stopped.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009163050173
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

Hand locating was done during ground preparations for installing new utility services. Despite this, a gas line was contacted, gas entered a private home, and extensive fire damage occurred.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Seismic blasting
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 2009161740142
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A non-worker cut the detonating cord of an explosive initiation device. WorkSafeBC and government authorities were consulted before the blaster successfully detonated the explosives.
Injury Type : Lacerated hand
Core Activity : Logging operations
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160195
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A faller was using a chainsaw to prepare a back cut when he tried to move a twig with one hand. Either the twig caught in the chain and pulled his hand in, or his hand slipped off the twig into the chain.
Injury Type : Crushed hand
Core Activity : Plywood manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009157380217
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker opened the inspection plate to a small conveyor to check for moisture. The conveyor, which was not locked out, cycled automatically while the worker's hand was inside.
Injury Type : Serious hand injuries
Core Activity : Retail bakery
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009102100649
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A worker was feeding dough into the feed rolls of a dough sheeter. While reaching for dough that was not feeding properly, the worker's hand was pulled into the press rolls.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Culvert installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157530187
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

An excavator was digging a trench for a culvert when it contacted a guide wire between two utility poles. Two energized 14.4-kV power lines were dislodged from their insulators.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Delivery of rental equipment
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165570067
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

A truck was towing a trailer with an extendable boom forklift on it. When the truck turned left, the trailer dislodged from the truck, overturned, and landed on its side at the edge of the road.
Injury Type : Amputation of fingertip
Core Activity : Residential renovation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960254
Date of Incident : 2009-Jul

The bucket of a mini excavator was being used to pry up the base of a portable wheelchair lift from a concrete pad. The worker removed a bolt and the frame inadvertently moved. The worker's hand was pinched between the frame and the deck.


You can return to the Top of this page

 

"All Sectors" incidents from other dates