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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 incident summaries from other dates

2009 October - December

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Integrated forest management
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010163050035
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

At a log yard, a trailer hoist was lifting a log truck trailer to the required height, so that the driver could back the truck under the trailer, when the cable on the trailer hoist broke. The trailer fell to the ground (about 12 feet).

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Beer and wine store
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010143950001
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was in the back room of a beer and wine store when two individuals entered the store and went behind the counter. When the worker came into the front of the store, one individual pulled out a gun. The worker called to another worker (in the attached hotel) for help and the two individuals left the store. They were apprehended by police officers a short time later.
See a hazard alert about the risk of violence faced by retail workers:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35663

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009118870543
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A vacuum clamp was being used to handle exterior wall panels during installation. The vacuum clamp failed, and a panel fell more than 25 feet to grade.

Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Scaffolding rental and installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132635
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was dismantling scaffolding when the hook on a scaffold deck failed. The worker fell 6 feet to the concrete floor.

Injury Type : Possible injuries to head, neck, shoulder
Core Activity : CNC production tooling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165890229
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Two workers were moving a wheeled rack containing wooden patterns. One pattern (weighing about 300 pounds) caught on a piece of material, dislodged, and fell 1 foot onto one of the workers.

Injury Type : Serious head injury, fractured arms
Core Activity : Barn cleaning
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163210338
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was using a tractor to push manure out of the second storey of a chicken barn. The tractor fell from the door opening. The worker fell from the tractor and landed on pavement.

Injury Type : Hand injuries
Core Activity : Coffee shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410287
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A young worker was cleaning an espresso machine when one hand was caught in it.

Injury Type : Injured shoulders, neck
Core Activity : Log hauling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450408
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A loaded log transporter failed to negotiate a turn. The log transporter rolled over and slid down a 30 percent embankment.

Injury Type : Burns to arms
Core Activity : Automotive repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2010154900002
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

In preparation for removing a fuel pump, workers were draining a fuel tank. Some gasoline from the fuel tank spilled out and caught fire, burning a young worker. The fire may have been ignited by a nearby space heater.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Gas station and retail outlet
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155400223
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A lone individual robbed a gas station/retail outlet (of cash). No one at the site of the robbery was injured, but a police officer was injured when the police vehicle was rammed during the apprehension of the robber at the end of a surveillance pursuit more than 100 kilometres away.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009110750766
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An electrician qualified to work on low-voltage services was preparing to run wiring through a 4-inch-diameter conduit and found there was no string in place to pull the wire. A steel "fish" tape (used to pull wire) was pushed through about 65 feet of conduit. When the electrical vault was opened by electricians qualified to work on high-voltage services, the fish tape was found to be close to a 12-kV line.

Injury Type : Injury to foot
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2010157560013
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker fell from the roof of a single-family residence.

Injury Type : Cracked ribs, cuts, scrapes, bruises (1 worker); cuts, bruises (1 worker)
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009102100889
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

When the ladder in a ladder jack scaffold dislodged, two roofers slid down a steep cedar shake roof (pitch of 6:12) and fell to the ground (8 feet).

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Integrated forestry management
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010156160010
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

The certified trailer hoist cable at a sawmill failed, causing a trailer to fall onto the rigging components of a logging truck tractor.

Injury Type : Chest injuries, fractured arm
Core Activity : Log hauling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010155980004
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A loaded logging truck lost control on an icy road and struck a tree. The load of logs moved forward, crushing the truck's cab. The operator was ejected from the vehicle before the cab was crushed.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Janitorial services
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2010166860002
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was cleaning the premises of a business after hours. Two robbers tied up the worker, removed the safe, and left the premises. The worker got free and called police.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Hotel
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009165800132
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

During the night shift, a lone worker was approached by a robber who produced a firearm and demanded money. The money was provided and the robber left.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Industrial, commercial, or institutional construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009158820294
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

During excavation for the foundations of a new building, a 2-inch low-pressure gas line was struck. A "call before you dig" locate had been requested, and four of the five utility providers had responded (except for the gas utility provider). No workers were injured.

Injury Type : Injuries to hand
Core Activity : Non-alcoholic beverage manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010161970006
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was clearing a clogged bucket on energized equipment. The worker's hand got caught inside the bucket as it rotated.

Injury Type : Lacerations, bruising
Core Activity : Cabinet manufacture
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009159110469
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker wanted to check the finish on cabinet components in a tray in the automatic spray line machine. As he put his head over top of the tray, the tray moved upwards and pinned his head between the tray and the equipment frame.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108440401
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A fully extended rough-terrain zoom-boom forklift with a 15-foot truss boom attachment fell over while attempting to lift and relocate a 1,400-pound, 16-by-20-foot wall panel. The boom landed on and fell through the roof of the neighbouring house.

Injury Type : Broken arm
Core Activity : Erecting steel frames
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009117640615
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A crane was slinging metal roof trusses onto a site when the load line contacted a beam about 20 feet above the ground. The grouted anchors of a support column failed, and it fell and struck a second support frame, which also fell. A worker trying to escape the area was struck.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Beer and wine store
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2010158920002
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Two people entered a beer and wine store at night. One pointed a knife at the lone worker and demanded all the cash. The worker backed away from the counter and the robber tried to open the cash register. When this failed, the robbers took two bottles of wine and left.

Injury Type : Head and neck injuries
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160929
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was feeding the planer (planer in-feed transfer) when a piece of lumber (105 mm X 105 mm) struck the back of his head.

Injury Type : Burn injuries (2 workers); smoke inhalation (1 worker)
Core Activity : Maintenance of switch gear
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009158880515
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Two workers were burned when an explosion occurred in an underground electrical vault. A worker on the surface suffered smoke inhalation while trying to assess the condition of the two workers in the vault.

Injury Type : Crush injury to arm
Core Activity : Site preparation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960474
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A utility company's boom truck appeared to have a hydraulic problem near its stabilizer arm. As a backhoe operator assisted the boom truck operator, the stabilizer inadvertently moved and crushed the backhoe operator's arm.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Mechanized and manual falling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920291
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A 12-inch hemlock tree struck the roof of a feller buncher. A manual faller had cut up and bypassed the tree along a handfall/feller buncher split line on a long line setting.

Injury Type : Bruised ribs, hypothermia
Core Activity : Integrated forest management
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920287
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A shop truck drove off a gravel logging road and landed in a river. The driver escaped through a side window and sat on the tool box until fellow workers rescued him.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Correctional services
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124120328
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An inmate set fire to a cell in the segregation area.

Injury Type : Injuries to back, chest, head
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009114550254
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker fell about 9 feet from the top of the sidewalk hoarding.

Injury Type : Burns to hand and head
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009157440343
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was changing fuses in a 3-phase switch using a screwdriver, without the main power being turned off. The worker crossed two of the phases (480 volts) with the screwdriver, causing a short in the system and an explosion and flash.

Injury Type : Minor smoke inhalation
Core Activity : Gas well drilling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009165800130
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A propane heater was being used to preheat the generator building on a drilling rig. The heater was left unattended and the generator building caught fire. While trying to extinguish the fire, one worker sustained minor smoke inhalation.

Injury Type : Shoulder injury, temporary loss of feeling in legs
Core Activity : Replacing exterior siding
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161480287
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

As a worker descended a scaffold, he slipped and fell at the 16-foot mark. The worker's fall was arrested by his fall protection equipment. He was lowered to the ground by emergency responders.

Injury Type : Serious head injury
Core Activity : Window repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155070212
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was on an extension ladder repairing metal cladding on a window when he fell about 17 feet.

Injury Type : Amputated fingertip
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009136050168
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was pulling on a drive belt to reverse an unscrambler when his finger was caught between the drive belt and a pulley. (An unscrambler is a machine that maximizes the loading of boards by retrieving a single piece of wood from a pile and transferring it to a conveyor.)

Injury Type : Soft tissue injuries and soreness in upper body (2 workers); leg injuries (non-worker)
Core Activity : Ambulance services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530421
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An ambulance was struck head-on by an oncoming private vehicle that crossed the centre line.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530419
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was using a backhoe to dig a trench for the installation of electrical service to a newly constructed home. To thaw the ground to make it easier to dig with the backhoe, the worker was operating a handheld propane torch. The flame from the torch melted a plastic natural gas supply line, igniting the natural gas.

Injury Type : Shock, undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Drywall taping
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161770312
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was using stilts to do drywall taping on the ceiling of a single-family home. The worker fell onto a wooden subfloor.

Injury Type : Broken arm
Core Activity : General construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410272
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker fell off a wood-framed scaffold and landed about 8 feet below.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157520320
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An excavator was being moved from a residential excavation site in a cul-de-sac to a parked lowbed (for loading). As the excavator headed down the icy slope of the paved roadway, it started to slide and rotate. Its bucket struck a parked vehicle before the excavator collided with a retaining wall at the end of a driveway. The excavator operator jammed the bucket into the road to prevent the excavator from toppling over. The excavator came to rest with one track suspended 2 feet off the road surface.

Injury Type : Laceration to neck
Core Activity : Manual tree falling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920282
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A hand faller was carrying his chainsaw on his shoulder with the chain on the bar and the dogs unguarded when he slipped on the frozen ground. As he tried to throw the saw off his shoulder, the dog caught his backpack strap and pivoted the saw around. The bar and chain cut his neck.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Mechanized tree falling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920280
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A feller buncher felled a 24-inch hemlock tree next to 25-kV power lines. The hemlock knocked over a 12-inch balsam tree whose top contacted the power lines.

Injury Type : Non-life-threatening injuries (1 worker, several non-workers)
Core Activity : Bus line operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490412
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A bus carrying 24 passengers was travelling on a highway when the driver lost control of the vehicle. It crossed the centre line of the highway and continued into the opposing ditch, where it tipped onto its side.

Injury Type : Burns to head, arms
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163640248
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An electrician was pulling wires into a live breaker box (208-volt three phase) when the ground wire contacted the bus bar.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960459
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A person set himself on fire near the entrance of a hospital parkade adjacent to a construction site. Several construction workers were exposed to the traumatic event while assisting in extinguishing the fire. The fire victim was treated by emergency personnel but later succumbed to his injuries.

Injury Type : Injury to leg
Core Activity : Newspaper printing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009152480325
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A reach truck struck a table, which in turn struck a worker.

Injury Type : Fractured arms, mild concussion
Core Activity : General construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165560165
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Co-workers found a new worker lying unresponsive on a concrete slab next to a toppled ladder. The worker had been on the ladder nailing exterior sheathing material.

Injury Type : Blunt trauma injuries to back and arm
Core Activity : Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning service
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030511
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was using a ladder to access a rooftop to work on a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The 14-foot fixed ladder, which had 6 inches of clearance between the rungs and the back wall, was frosty. The worker was climbing the ladder when he lost his grip on the ladder and fell about 6 feet.

Injury Type : Crushed hand
Core Activity : Pile driving
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450393
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

The lead support line on a pile-driving crane became tangled with the top corner of the leads. As a worker was trying to untangle the lead line, his hand was crushed by the whip line ball.

Injury Type : Bruised leg
Core Activity : Concrete manufacture and delivery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157600257
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A truck-mounted crane was being used to tip a curb mould weighing 600 to 800 pounds. Only one hook of a steel alloy quadruple-leg sling was choked to the load (the three other hooks/legs were not being used). The hook came free (rolled out) and the mould fell about 3 feet, striking a worker's leg.

Injury Type : Serious crush injuries
Core Activity : Manufacture of bridge beams
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165410201
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A steel I-beam was standing upright on dunnage. The beam was 60 feet long, 3 feet high, and 1 foot wide, and weighed about 12,000 pounds. A worker lowered the chain bridle of a bridge crane, intending to rig the load. The worker bent down, reached under the beam, then mistakenly pushed the crane pendant's "Up" button. The open hook contacted the beam and caused it to fall over onto the worker.

Injury Type : Bruising from seat belt
Core Activity : Log yarding
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009157620256
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A grapple yarder was yarding logs with only one of two guylines deployed. The guyline cable broke, and the machine fell forward, landing on the side of the cab. The operator, who was wearing his seat belt, was not seriously injured.

Injury Type : Inhalation injuries from sulfur dioxide gas (5 workers)
Core Activity : Metal manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009111970266
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Five workers were repairing a flue at a metal manufacturing plant. An over-pressurization of the flue exposed the workers to an unknown concentration of sulfur dioxide gas.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Wood product manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450391
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

The tipper hoist on a 50-foot chip truck failed while dumping two fully loaded chip trailers. The tipper hoist was being jogged to loosen frozen chips.

Injury Type : Fractured arm
Core Activity : Portable wood chipping
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009157440334
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

As a young worker was trying to unjam a conveyor that was not locked out, his hand got caught between a conveyor belt and the tail drum.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Hand locating underground gas line
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161950615
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was hand digging to uncover an underground gas line (3/4 inch diameter) when the shovel inadvertently ruptured the gas line.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Scaffold engineering
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960449
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A 9-storey steel-frame scaffold with attached tarpaulin (scaff-net), attached to a condominium complex, started to move during high winds. Police blocked access to the area before most of the scaffolding collapsed into the adjacent roadway. No one was injured but one vehicle was damaged.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960451
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

The canopy of a 6-storey steel-frame scaffold, with attached tarpaulin, was exposed to high winds. About 180 feet of the tarpaulin and 2x4 strapping pulled free of the canopy and landed on the adjacent roadway. There were no reports of injuries or of damage to vehicles.

Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Cleaning gutters
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155270318
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A self-employed unregistered worker was cleaning gutters on a 2-storey house. As he descended an aluminum extension ladder set up on a second-storey sundeck, he fell about 16 feet onto the asphalt driveway.

Injury Type : Laceration
Core Activity : Log hauling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009113820320
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An empty off-highway log hauling truck drove too close to the edge of a spur road and rolled over the embankment.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Retail store
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009138190269
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A man robbed a store.
See a hazard alert about the risk of violence faced by retail workers:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35663

Injury Type : Soft-tissue injury to leg
Core Activity : Ski hill operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850288
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

While descending a ski run at the end of the day, a ski patroller (a young worker) collided with a snowmobile as it crested a small knoll. The snowmobile was ascending the ski run en route to the maintenance shed.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating near house
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009154930353
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A backhoe was digging near a house when it broke a gas line whose location was known. The operator entered the excavation and crimped the line. The utility company sent a crew to deal with the emergency.

Injury Type : Head lacerations, broken arm
Core Activity : Loading snowmobile onto pickup truck
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490128
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

As a wildlife technician was trying to load a snowmobile onto a pickup truck by driving the machine onto a snowmobile platform on the back of the truck, the ramp slipped out. The worker was thrown to the ground, the snowmobile landed on top of the worker, and the ramp struck the worker's head.

Injury Type : Multiple fractures, internal injuries
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009110750726
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

In preparation for lifting a pre-constructed wall into place, workers removed guardrails. The wall structure was covered in frost. A worker who was not involved in the lift stepped onto the wall structure to retrieve his hammer, which was 7 feet from the edge. He slipped and fell 37 feet to the rocks below.

Injury Type : Serious injury to eye
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165810247
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A young worker was operating a nail gun with coil framing nails when the wire coil flew off. It entered the worker's eye from underneath his safety glasses.

Injury Type : Broken ribs, head laceration, abrasions
Core Activity : General trucking
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009147230209
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A truck was driving through an intersection when it was T-boned by a crane truck. Injury Type : Minor smoke inhalation
Core Activity : Gas well drilling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009165800130
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A propane heater was being used to preheat the generator building on a drilling rig. The heater was left unattended and the generator building caught fire. While trying to extinguish the fire, one worker sustained minor smoke inhalation.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009156730493
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

An excavator contacted a gas line while installing power and telecommunications lines. The excavator operator had recently installed the gas line.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Woodworking shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009147280244
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A fire occurred in the chambers and/or hopper of a dust collector. An explosion occurred in a discharge bin for the collector, and an explosion panel in the bin was blown out.

Injury Type : Injuries to ears and head
Core Activity : Pipeline construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009154930356
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Workers filled a plastic pop bottle with acetylene and placed it on a fire at their worksite, then quickly moved away. When the makeshift device exploded, the shockwave injured a young worker who was only about 4 feet away from the fire.

Injury Type : Serious crush injuries to hand
Core Activity : Rig move
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009154930355
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A young worker was spooling 1-inch wire rope onto a truck-mounted winch drum when his gloved hand was caught and pulled into the drum. The operator of the unit was not at the controls and did not know what had happened. When the drum was backed up to release the worker's hand, the s hand was crushed again until it released from the winch drum.

Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Fire brigade
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010160530034
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A firefighter was using a pole to pull metal roofing material from a collapsed roof. The pole's hook came loose and the firefighter fell backwards.

Injury Type : Bruising, muscle strain, pain
Core Activity : Ski resort operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010112850012
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Exiting the ski patrol shack, a worker slipped on the stairs and fell.

Injury Type : Amputated fingers
Core Activity : Wood floor installation
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010140710075
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was cutting a piece of flooring lumber with an unguarded table saw. As the worker lowered the wood onto the blade to make an internal cut, the blade kicked back and caught his hand.

Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Exterior painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2010161950006
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A painter was standing on the framework of a structural steel canopy while using a roller to apply paint to the structural supports. The worker slipped and fell 11 feet 5 inches to the concrete sidewalk below.

Injury Type : Back and neck injuries
Core Activity : Fruit packing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010161970016
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was using a forklift to load the container of a semi-trailer. The semi-trailer pulled away while the forklift operator was still loading. The forklift and worker fell about 4 feet to the ground.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Wood pellet manufacturing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010111080001
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A wet sawdust reclaim conveyor stopped working when it became overloaded by chunks of ice. A cyclone continued to deliver wet sawdust to the conveyor, causing the cyclone to plug. Workers checked the cyclone by hitting the sides with a hammer and determined that it was plugged. Shortly after the workers left the area an explosion occurred, damaging two cyclones and the dryer.

Injury Type : Compression fracture of vertebrae, soft-tissue damage
Core Activity : Ranching
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010130750051
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was standing on a stack of hay bales about 15 feet off the ground. The worker was trying to remove a frozen tarp that was covering the bales when he slipped and fell to the frozen ground.

Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to arm, lower body bruising
Core Activity : Auto body repair
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010157440067
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker drove a van into an auto body repair shop, then exited the vehicle, thinking that it was in park. The van was actually in reverse and started to back up. The worker tried to get back into the vehicle and stop it but became caught underneath it.

Injury Type : Carbon monoxide exposure (5 workers)
Core Activity : Recreation centre
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010166350011
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

Two gasoline-powered pumps were used to drain the main swimming pool for annual maintenance. The pumps were located immediately inside the rear doors. After the pumps had been running for about 3 hours, a worker noticed a carbon monoxide detector in alarm in an office adjacent to the pool area. The facility was evacuated.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Power-generating turbine installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010160850077
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A coupling clamp, which secured an end cap of a 4-inch-diameter cooling water pipe, failed at 50 psi during a planned 350 psi hydrostatic pressure test. The end cap was propelled vertically about 20 feet, contacting the ceiling before falling to the concrete floor. No workers were injured as the area had been cleared before testing began.

Injury Type : Head injury
Core Activity : Residential health services
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010111080017
Date of Incident : 2009-Dec

A worker was attacked by a resident with a mental disability while driving the resident to a medical appointment.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Community health services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010150180045
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As two health care workers entered a room to provide care to a client, the client raised a firearm and pointed it at them.

Injury Type : Partial amputation of leg
Core Activity : Warehouse operation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2010120030032
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was unloading a pallet with an electric pallet jack. The worker was walking backwards when he tripped over a raised dock plate and the pallet jack ran over his foot.

Injury Type : Decompression illness
Core Activity : Geoduck dive fishing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2010139050003
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker harvesting geoduck clams experienced decompression illness. Hookah dive equipment (air supplied to one or more divers from an air compressor or tanks on the surface) was being used.

Injury Type : Fatal (non-worker)
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010163760030
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a company vehicle being driven after working hours.

Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Travelling to remote work site
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490397
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was driving a pickup truck on a forest service road, heading to a remote work site. The truck failed to negotiate a curve, travelled into a ditch, and struck an embankment.

Injury Type : Lacerations, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Logging
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850279
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A loaded logging truck was travelling down an icy, snowy forest service road. The driver lost control of the trailer while trying to stop, and the truck rolled onto its roof.

Injury Type : Severe burns, internal injuries
Core Activity : Power line service
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009143950314
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker climbed a single-phase 14.4-kV utility pole to replace an insulator. The worker contacted an overhead line.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Prefabricated building construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165870323
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Workers were positioning a roof on a prefabricated home. As the roof was being guided over the pivot point, the end of the roof came up, then fell 8 to 12 inches, causing a whipping motion and transferring a shock load to the hoist.

Injury Type : Shoulder injuries
Core Activity : Manual falling and bucking
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009136960340
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A faller was falling a 36-inch-diameter red cedar tree. He intended to fall the cedar so that it knocked down a 40-foot-tall limbless hemlock snag (dangerous tree) about 4 feet behind it. When the cedar tree fell, the top of the snag broke off and catapulted back towards the faller.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installation of underground utilities
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009109150603
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

An excavator punctured a 4-inch natural gas distribution line. The line was buried about 12 inches below the surface in fractured/blast rock material. As the bucket of the excavator was loosening material, a sharp rock punctured the plastic line.

Injury Type : Lacerated neck, broken ribs
Core Activity : Glass shop and window installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009070890089
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Large sheets of glass (3/8 inch thick, 34 inches by 80 inches) were sitting in an A-frame cradle. A young worker tipped several of the sheets toward himself so that a second worker could access sheets deeper in the stack. As more sheets were tipped forward, the increasing weight of the stack caused the worker to fall back against a work table. The falling glass sliced the worker's neck, and the impact of hitting the table broke several ribs.

Injury Type : Flash burns
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160898
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker connected a neutral wire to a neutral bus bar in an energized electrical panel. The neutral wire contacted the energized conductor at the panel, causing an arc flash.

Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance (formalin)
Core Activity : Acute care facility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009163500241
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

An unknown quantity of formalin (possibly 200 litres/45 gallons) was spilled in a morgue. One worker was exposed to the chemical and suffered numerous side effects, including hallucinations, breathing difficulties, and gastric pain.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Water and sewer installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160337
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As an excavator was moving to a separate work area, it struck overhead communications and electrical infrastructure. It broke one utility pole and collapsed the system.

Injury Type : Fractured ribs
Core Activity : Resource road construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490115
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker had fuelled up a rock truck and was climbing into the back of the fuel truck when he slipped and fell onto a metal cross brace.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tree removal
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009166720005
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

During the removal of a 70-foot tree, the top 25-foot portion of the tree was cut. It landed on three-phase 12.5-kV overhead power lines and ignited.

Injury Type : Burns
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117080321
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was using a voltage test meter to confirm the required 480 volts on a generator when an arc flash occurred.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163640231
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As a concrete pumper truck was folding up its boom, it contacted overhead high-voltage lines.

Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, ribs; possible internal injuries
Core Activity : Manual falling for heli-logging operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157600252
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As a faller was moving away, a maple tree broke off the stump and slid downhill. The top of the maple (4-5 inches in diameter) swung and fell from about 40 feet, striking the worker's back and knocking him to the ground.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Grading of forest resource road
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160530383
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A grader working on a forest resource road rolled over a 15-foot embankment, landing on its side.

Injury Type : Broken foot
Core Activity : Yarding and loading
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009158920270
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A hydraulic log loader backed up 12 feet to load a large cedar log onto a logging truck. The loader's track ran over the foot of a worker who was in the landing to clear a choker for a grapple yarder.

Injury Type : Crush injuries to fingers
Core Activity : Printing/Laminating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009145130295
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker's fingers were drawn into the rollers of a laminating machine.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Wooden pallet manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161480262
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Two workers were working inside a leased building when sections of drywall began falling from the ceiling and they heard the sound of wood cracking. The workers quickly exited the building as a large section of the roof (40 feet by 30 feet) collapsed into the building. It was reported that the collapsed section of roof had been leaking for many years.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132600
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As a concrete sump was being offloaded on a public roadway, its lid fell onto the roadway and was struck by a passing vehicle.

Injury Type : Compound fracture of leg
Core Activity : Food wholesale delivery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009104270253
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A driver making deliveries was on the rear power gate of a truck, using a pallet jack to move a large loaded skid. When the product started to fall off the pallet, the worker tried to jump free, but his leg caught on a chain, and he fell. The product landed on his leg.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Gas bar and late night retail
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160850250
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A person armed with a shotgun entered a gas station/retail outlet and robbed the cashier of all cash from the register.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Chemical and metal processing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009111970233
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A fire started in a building where lithium thionyl-chloride batteries were stored and discharged. As the fire engulfed the building, batteries exploded, throwing flaming projectiles around the plant. No workers were on-site at the time of the fire.

Injury Type : Concussion, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Traffic control
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009158880452
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A reversing vehicle struck a traffic control person.
See a hazard alert about the risks of working in traffic control zones:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35319

Injury Type : Broken leg and arm
Core Activity : Power line repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830218
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker fell about 26 feet from a utility pole when the pole broke off at its base.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Mobile crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009160580269
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

The 110-foot lattice boom on a hydraulic mobile crane was pulled over backwards (snapped off). The non-functioning safety limits on the crane allowed it to be boomed up too high.

Injury Type : Facial laceration
Core Activity : Auto service or repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161480256
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was bending metal plate by striking it with a 5-pound hammer. The hammer slipped out of his hands and struck him in the face.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating for sewer pipe installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009109150587
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

While digging for the installation of sewer pipes, an excavator severed an underground natural gas service line. The location of the line had not been accurately determined at a sufficient number of locations before excavation work with powered equipment began. A portion of the line had been located, but workers were unable to obtain an accurate locate further along the edge of the driveway and therefore assumed that the line followed a straight path away from the located section.

Injury Type : Fractured wrist, ankle, foot; back injury
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850250
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker on a second-storey balcony lost his balance and fell about 20 feet.

Injury Type : Compound fracture of leg
Core Activity : Cold storage plant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009128230316
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

The operator of a reach-lift truck was injured when he lost control of the unit and either jumped or was thrown from the machine.

Injury Type : Leg fractures
Core Activity : Stone countertop manufacture
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009159110415
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A young worker was helping to remove one of eight slabs of granite from a crate. The stack of slabs fell over, pinning one of his legs.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Water line replacement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157270299
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A backhoe digging a trench for a new water line severed a 2-inch gas line.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Steam heating supply
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009158880450
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Shortly after steam was supplied to a building's heat distribution system, a cap on a fitting failed and the mechanical room filled with high-pressure steam.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009158880449
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A tower crane was lowering a basket-slung column form (16 feet by 4 feet) from the top deck of a highrise. About 20 feet above the deck it was to land on, the form tilted in the slings. This caused six taper ties and a 16-foot 4x6, all unsecured, to fall to the deck.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165570173
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

The boom of a tower crane, with load on hook, contacted the boom of a 200-ton mobile crane. The mobile crane had its boom extended inside the radius of the tower crane but was not working at the time of the incident.

Injury Type : Abrasions to both arms
Core Activity : Warehouse operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009163100253
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A young worker was offloading boxes from a conveyor when his hand was caught in the in-running nip point of the system. The conveyor belt abraded the stuck arm. As the worker tried to free the hand, his other hand became caught and sustained abrasions as well.

Injury Type : Crush and puncture injuries to hand
Core Activity : Butcher shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009147280222
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As a worker wearing gloves placed chicken meat in a tenderizer, the worker's hand entered the machine. The machine was not equipped with the manufacturer's safeguard for the hazardous point of operation.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Hotel operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410237
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A pickup truck went out of control and struck the exterior wall of a hotel. The truck penetrated the wall and proceeded through four rooms (about 70 feet) before hitting a fire separation wall and coming to a stop. The rooms were not occupied and no workers were injured.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Log hauling
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009161740252
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A loaded off-highway logging truck drove off the edge of a logging road. The truck rolled over and came to rest at the edge of a lake. The driver escaped without injury.

Injury Type : Broken foot bone
Core Activity : Installation of services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163640241
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A backhoe was carrying a section of concrete pipe suspended from its bucket. A worker was holding onto the pipe to control its movement during transit. When the worker stopped walking to manoeuvre the pipe around an obstacle, the backhoe continued forward and ran over the worker's foot.

Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); injuries (2 workers)
Core Activity : Tree services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009119700208
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A service truck was involved in a collision with a loaded logging truck. A private motor vehicle then collided with the trucks. One worker in the service truck died, the other (a young worker) was injured. The driver of the logging truck was also injured. The non-workers in the private vehicle were not injured.

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 : Close call
Core Activity : Oil or gas production
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490126
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

At an operating sour gas well (a gas well with hydrogen sulfide/H2S gas) a leak occurred downstream from the emergency shutdown valve. A large volume of sour gas was released into the atmosphere around the well and nearby residences were evacuated. The gas release continued for nearly two hours, until workers were able to shut in the well and control the leak. No workers were injured or exposed to hazardous levels of sour gas.

Injury Type : Fatal (6 non-workers); serious injuries (1 worker, 1 non-worker)
Core Activity : Passenger flight service
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960444
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A floatplane crashed into the ocean near Saturna Island.

Injury Type : Amputated fingertip
Core Activity : Well servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009163790136
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

On a snubbing rig (an oil and gas unit used to insert or remove pipe from the well bore), a young worker reached into a view port (1" x 4" slot) on a hydraulic ram on the well bore BOP stack (a device used to control the escape of gas and fluids from a well bore). The worker was trying to see if the ram was open and whether it had released the pipe to allow the movement of out of the well. As the worker put his hand into the view port, the ram was opening and caught one of his fingers.

Injury Type : Minor injuries
Core Activity : Oil or gas well drilling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490120
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A drilling rig crew was laying pipe down on the cat walk (pipe access ramp) of a drilling rig when a young worker fell from the main rig floor to the ground (about 3.5 metres). The worker fell between the access stairs and the v-doors (opening through which drill pipe is lowered into or out from the drilling derrick).

Injury Type : Possible exposure to a hazardous sustance (vapours from invert drilling fluid)
Core Activity : Oil or gas well drilling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490123
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker on a drilling rig experienced severe respiratory distress following possible exposure to potentially hazardous vapours. The drilling rig was using an invert drilling fluid (a fluid composed of diesel oil and petroleum distillates known to give off potentially hazardous vapours). The worker's duties involved work in the mud tank and shale shaker areas of the rig (areas in which the drilling fluids are mixed and circulated to surface).

Injury Type : Broken ankle, lacerations
Core Activity : Barn construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161480277
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was retrieving an electrical cord from a 4:12 sloped metal roof when he lost his footing. He slid off the roof, landing on the ground about 16 feet below.

Injury Type : Shoulder injury; head contusion and laceration
Core Activity : Installation of metal roof
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410256
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

In preparation for the installation of a new roof, a young worker accessed a first-level hip roof on a two-storey home to remove a tarp. Shortly after, the worker fell to grade (about 11.5 feet). Fall protection was available on site but was not being used.

Injury Type : Broken vertebrae, hip, ankle (1 worker); scrapes, cuts, soreness (2 workers)
Core Activity : Heating and insulation installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830238
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Three workers fell about 12 feet when the temporary work platform they were on collapsed.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Storm drain maintenance
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009161290499
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A crew was using a 4-inch root cutter to perform routine maintenance on a 6-inch storm drain in the road. The cutter severed a half-inch gas line. When the crew heard and then smelled gas escaping, they stopped work and initiated an emergency response. About 35 homes nearby were evacuated until a 2-inch main feeder line was shut off and drain lines were purged. The drain had been serviced on several previous occasions using the root cutter. Since the gas service had been installed many years before (in 1995), it was not prioritized in the video recording review by municipal engineers looking for hogged gas lines penetrating the drain. The hogged gas line may have shifted during recent heavy rainfall.

Injury Type : Concussion, fractured vertebrae
Core Activity : Installation of gutters
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165880252
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was working alone, installing gutters on a new home in a remote location. The worker fell from a ladder and landed on his back on the ground about 15 feet below. He walked to a nearby highway to flag down assistance.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Cold storage plant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009128230334
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

As a reach truck was being parked in a restricted area, its mast contacted and cracked a 1-inch gas line. Natural gas was released into the warehouse but no one was injured.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Poultry processing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009166940004
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A fire started in a storage building at a poultry processing facility. Two employees were in the building at the time, but neither was injured.

Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830232
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

An assailant with a gun robbed a worker at the drive-through window of a restaurant. Six employees were working at the time of the incident.
See a hazard alert about the risk of violence faced by retail workers:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35663

Injury Type : Broken wrist and rib; internal injuries
Core Activity : Setup of scaffolding
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009114550238
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker fell between 12 and 13 feet from a scaffold system.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132611
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A wooden piece of formwork about 12 feet by 10 feet was being readied for removal when it fell from the 15th floor, destroying the access way and electrical service to the manhoist.

Injury Type : Injuries to head and shoulder
Core Activity : Truck body manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009128230323
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Two workers were operating an overhead jig when it was prematurely released. The jig struck one of the workers.

Injury Type : Facial injuries (1 worker); contusions, abrasions (1 young worker)
Core Activity : Delivery of building materials
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009138190255
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Two workers (one of them a young worker) were struck by a load of windows being offloaded from a flat-deck truck.

Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Steep slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850264
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

While moving from one anchor to another, a worker slipped and fell from a roof to grade (12 feet).

Injury Type : Strained neck (1 worker); smoke inhalation (3 workers)
Core Activity : Acute care facility
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157520303
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A patient assaulted a worker and then set a bed on fire.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation of utility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009161290498
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A broken water main required an emergency locate of utilities. The gas company completed an on-site locate, with subsequent hand excavation uncovering a dormant steel service line. During mechanical excavation, an active polyethylene service located underneath the steel line was struck.

Injury Type : Dizziness, disorientation
Core Activity : Institutional construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009109150596
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was sitting in the construction site trailer at the end of the shift when he felt dizzy and disoriented. He blew the first aid horn for assistance.

Injury Type : Bruising, swelling of head and neck
Core Activity : Dismantling self-erecting tower crane
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154970498
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was helping to dismantle a self-erecting tower crane. He was struck by the cab of the crane when the increased weight of the trolley, jib, and tower caused the sleeper bin of the cab to fail, along with the high-speed safety brake. The cab section dropped 64 inches, striking the worker on the head.

Injury Type : Amputation of fingertip
Core Activity : Home improvement centre
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009161980424
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker's hand was struck by the knife carriage of a carpet-cutting machine.

Injury Type : Bruising and abrasions (2 workers)
Core Activity : Metal manufacturing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009111970239
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

Two bridge cranes sharing the same superstructure collided.

Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Steep slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132602
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was standing on a toe board (work platform) on a steep slope roof, preparing to climb down a ladder. He had disconnected his lanyard from his personal fall protection system when one of the roof brackets/jacks securing the toe board pulled out. The worker fell to grade (13 feet).

Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Supermarket
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009143950308
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was using a high-lift electric pallet stacker when one foot got caught between the stacker and a pallet of material in the aisle.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Replacement of water separation tank
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157570207
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A fire broke out while a worker was cutting a drainage hole in a water separation box using a high-current welding application. The process ignited a liquid containing water, creosote, pole oil, naphthalene, and pentachlorophenol.

Injury Type : Swollen neck
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160887
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A young worker was flipping boards on the infeed transfer to separate them. A long 2x8 board was turned sideways, and the tailing edge of another board was being used as a pivot. Another worker activated the board flippers on the machine, which caused the two boards on the canter infeed to flip. The near end of a board lifted and struck the first worker.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009109150585
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

An excavator contacted and severed a 2-inch underground natural gas line, which had previously been located and marked. The line should have been re-located and exposed by hand.

Injury Type : Amputated finger
Core Activity : Machine shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157600250
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was inspecting the cutter-head tool attachment on a milling machine to ensure proper settings for the metal piece being worked. While grasping the cutter-head with one hand, the worker reached up with the other hand to set the chuck gear drive knob to the neutral position so the cutter-head attachment could be rotated. However, the worker grasped and activated the power control lever instead, and the chuck with the tool attachment began to rotate. A protrusion on the tool attachment got caught in a ring on the worker's finger.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site surface preparation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009109150588
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was using a chainsaw to cut one stem of a multi-stem deciduous tree. A mini-excavator was trying to direct the fall of the stem but lost control of it. The tree limb contacted a low-voltage overhead power line, causing a power outage at an adjacent residence.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Utility pole installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450343
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A 26-ton truck-mounted crane was unloading wooden utility poles from a trailer. While picking the last pole from the trailer, the boom of the crane collapsed. The crane was operating at a capacity beyond the load chart.

Injury Type : Injuries to ribs and arm
Core Activity : Orchard pruning
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2010160530005
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was pruning fruit trees from a three-wheeled orchard manlift. The safety bar on the manlift released and opened, causing the worker to fall to the ground (about 6 feet).

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Dump truck operation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030495
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

The operator of a stone slinger truck performed a pre-shift inspection during which the vehicle's throw conveyor was raised. The throw conveyor was not returned to the transport cradle, and it contacted and broke a utility pole when the vehicle was driven away.

Injury Type : Hip pain
Core Activity : Water main installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030492
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

While performing pipe-bursting activities (150 feet of 8-inch-diameter pipe was being pulled through a 6-inch-diameter underground pipe), a worker removed a steel bar supporting a vertical steel plate (4 feet by 8 feet by three-quarters of an inch). The plate fell, pinning the worker against the pulling machine.

Injury Type : Crush injury to hand
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009129160904
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker at a strap-and-wrap station reached for a tag at the same time as another worker activated the press. As the press cycled, the worker's hand was caught between the shifting boards.

Injury Type : Fractured pelvis, knee pain
Core Activity : Flexible packaging manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009128230341
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was lifting a 1,500-kilogram roll of product with a spreader bar. When the roll released suddenly, the spreader bar struck the worker.

Injury Type : Bruised chest, hip
Core Activity : Shake and shingle mill
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108440376
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A rigged 40-foot-long shattered cedar log was being manoeuvred backwards in the log slip. The end of the log grounded in the river bottom, causing two 12-foot-long slabs to break off. One slab pivoted and landed on a nearby boom worker.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Trenching for telecommunications line
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009163790139
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

An excavator was digging a trench for the installation of a telecommunications line when its bucket ruptured a three-quarter-inch natural gas distribution line. Natural gas was released into the atmosphere for several hours before the line could be repaired. No workers were injured or exposed to hazardous levels of natural gas.

Injury Type : Bruised shoulder, neck
Core Activity : Installation of fire sprinklers
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830234
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A worker was transferring 21-foot pipes from a closed traffic lane to an underground parking area. After lifting and positioning a pipe on his shoulder, the worker was turned in the direction of the underground parking when a motor vehicle's passenger side mirror hit the tail end of the pipe.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Testing hydroelectric generator
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700281
Date of Incident : 2009-Nov

A short-circuit test was being conducted on a new hydroelectric generator. The leads were grounded in the neutral/terminal cubicle when the breaker was closed, sending 13.8 kV to ground. The capacitor adjacent to the grounding clamps exploded from the heat generated.

Injury Type : Skull fracture and laceration
Core Activity : Hydroelectric dam
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2010152480040
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A young worker was struck by a falling piece of rebar that had been left unsecured.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete coring
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160850238
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

During drilling operations, a 14-inch-diameter concrete boring bit contacted the protective conduit of an embedded 120 VAC electrical line.

Injury Type : Serious burns
Core Activity : Acute care facility
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113830217
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was test firing the steam boiler on oil. There was a large loud bang and a portion of the burner of the Number 4 steam boiler blew off. The worker was showered in burning diesel oil and his shirt caught fire.

Injury Type : Fractured collarbone, bruising
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009090580570
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was 10 feet up an extension ladder that was leaning against a utility pole. Nearby, a truck's manlift basket was lowered to the truck deck but the boom was not completely lowered. When the truck's operator received a call to go to another site, he forgot the boom was not fully lowered. The truck backed up and the boom struck a de-energized line, partially pulling over the utility pole. The ladder leaning against the pole fell over backwards, and the worker landed on the ground.

Injury Type : Back injury
Core Activity : Heavy equipment repair
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009120030465
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

While descending a ladder off a mezzanine, a worker fell 11 feet, 5 inches to the concrete floor below.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Ferry service
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960388
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A ferry vessel was underway at 20 knots. The port bow anchor released suddenly, bringing the vessel to a stop.

Injury Type : Fractured leg, bruising
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009147050571
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was on the top plate of a private residence that was being renovated. He was knocked off the plate by a load swinging from a truck-mounted crane.

Injury Type : Severe nausea, sore throat, headache
Core Activity : Pulp and paper production
Location : BC
ID Number : 2009147050564
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Caustic solution was delivered to a mill site for unloading. As it was unloaded, some spilled. A worker was exposed to the vapours while cleaning up.

Injury Type : Minor injuries
Core Activity : Vinyl window manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410233
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

While transporting a load of vinyl extrusion, a forklift tipped onto its side. The operator, who was wearing a seat belt, was able to brace himself and remain in the cab.
Watch the video "Stay in the cab, stay alive":
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?ReportID=35419
View or download videos and printed resources on forklift safety:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Portals/SmallBusiness/EquipmentSafety.asp?reportid=32813

Injury Type : Multiple fractures
Core Activity : Heavy equipment repair
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009111970230
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was removing bolts that fastened a shock bar to the bottom of a collector plate. He had cut the bolts and was hammering them free when the 100-pound collector plate (about 2 feet x 20 feet x 1/8 inch) fell 5 feet and struck him.

Injury Type : Abrasions, bruising
Core Activity : Sprinkler fitting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009158880431
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was on the cantilevered end of a scaffold plank when it flipped up. The worker fell 9 feet, 9 inches to the floor below.

Injury Type : Strains, bruising (2 workers)
Core Activity : Technical consulting
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009165800091
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Two workers (one driving, one a passenger) were in a vehicle that went out of control on black ice. The vehicle fishtailed, entered a ditch, and rolled.

Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Trucking
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490360
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A loaded fuel transport truck failed to negotiate a curve in the road, rolled over into a ditch, and caught fire.

Injury Type : Possible head injury, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Building maintenance
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108620160
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was found unconscious in a stairwell.

Injury Type : Decompression sickness
Core Activity : Commercial diving
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009112850248
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker experienced symptoms of decompression sickness about two hours after completing a 130-foot dive.

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 : Fatal
Core Activity : Consulting engineering
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009124490112
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A pickup truck was travelling on an icy highway. As it negotiated a corner, it slid into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer unit. The worker in the pickup truck was fatally injured.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157270277
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

An excavator was removing dirt from a collection basin excavation (6 feet by 6 feet) when it contacted a 14-kV conductor. The line was returned to service after the utility company inspected it.

Injury Type : Pellet gun wound
Core Activity : Acute care facility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009116080319
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A mental health patient on a day pass returned with a concealed pellet gun. As the patient was being escorted by security, he shot one nurse and two protection services officers. The officers were not hurt because they were wearing bulletproof vests.

Injury Type : Fractured skull
Core Activity : Mushroom farming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163210299
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A young worker fell about 4.5 feet from a mushroom-picking platform to grade.

Injury Type : Serious eye injury
Core Activity : Sheet metal fabrication
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410234
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was operating a baling machine to compress waste aluminum when the head of a bolt broke off from the bottom of the machine and struck him in the face under his safety glasses.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009034450342
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was performing maintenance in the bight (danger zone) when another worker noticed an extinguished lockout test indicator light. The electrical crew had cycled the programmable logic controller, causing the light to extinguish.

Injury Type : Broken foot bones
Core Activity : Traffic control
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009156730410
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A large excavator was tracking backward when it contacted the foot of a traffic control person (a young worker). The excavator's back-up warning beeper was sounding.

Injury Type : Multiple injuries
Core Activity : Scaffolding installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009114550226
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was standing on a scaffold/bleacher deck about 55 feet above grade as a tower crane operator (operating remotely) and another worker prepared to land a load of scaffold components. As the load was landed, one of the slings contacted part of the scaffold system. When the operator hoisted the load, the scaffold deck structure began to rise. The scaffold deck dislodged from its connection point behind the worker, and the worker fell to the ground.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009137102959
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was excavating on a residential property to perform utility repairs when a natural gas line was ruptured. The location of utilities had not been verified before excavating began.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Utility pole replacement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009128230281
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A power line crew was setting up to replace a utility pole. The crane truck's boom contacted an energized 25-kV power line.

Injury Type : Facial laceration, extensive bruising
Core Activity : Trawl fishing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009139050106
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

As a trawl net was being hauled in, the drum began to spin uncontrollably. The whipping trawl net struck a worker several times.

Injury Type : Injured arm
Core Activity : Land clearing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009165410139
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker brought a loaded articulating dump truck to a stop, intending to dump the load of dirt. As the rear box rose, the tailgate did not unlock. The load then shifted, causing the truck to stand on end. The truck cab turned to the right side and fell to the ground. The worker was wearing a seat belt.

Injury Type : Electrical burns
Core Activity : Operation of truck-mounted crane
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009162000315
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A young worker was preparing to rig a load when the winch cable he was holding contacted an overhead power line (7.2 kV).

Injury Type : Back injury
Core Activity : Window cleaning
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009108440334
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was on an extension ladder, cleaning windows 16 feet above the concrete floor. A second worker was "footing" the ladder (holding the base while standing underneath the ladder) when the ladder slid out. The ladder and elevated worker fell, landing on the "footing" worker. The worker on the ladder was not injured.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Heavy equipment installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160850223
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A 22,000-pound accumulator tank fell about half an inch to grade when an engineered overhead lifting eye failed due to incorrectly installed securing bolts. The lifting eye chain hoist and associated rigging fell to grade (about 10 feet), narrowly missing several workers.

Injury Type : Finger amputation
Core Activity : Wood products manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009157410220
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A non-worker, who was visiting a friend at work, attempted to help adjust a dog-ear saw. The saw was shut off but had not come to a complete stop when his hand contacted the exposed blade.

ID Number : 2009113830217
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was test firing the steam boiler on oil. There was a large loud bang and a portion of the burner of the Number 4 steam boiler blew off. The worker was showered in burning diesel oil and his shirt caught fire.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tree services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009155980339
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A truck had been parked on an incline with a small load of log rounds in its box. No one was at the controls when the vehicle started to roll. It struck and sheared off a utility pole, then came to rest against a tree in a yard.

Injury Type : Partial amputation of finger
Core Activity : Pulp mill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009140970342
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was hooking up a trailer with a welding unit on it to his truck. The worker exited the truck to make sure that the ball and hitch were lining up. As he tried to align them, the trailer moved. The hitch came down and pushed one of his fingers onto the ball.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating for bus stop
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009165870261
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

An excavator was developing the site of a new bus stop. As it spread pit-run gravel, it severed a 1-inch gas line (a stub off the 4-inch main line). No other property damage or injuries occurred.

Injury Type : Multiple fractures, internal injuries
Core Activity : Rock scaling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156240327
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A rock scaler had finished work on an outcropping and unhooked his lifeline. He was traversing an adjacent slope to leave the area when the ground under him collapsed. The worker and the dislodged rock and soil slid down the slope, under a metal mesh structure, and stopped about 120 feet downslope at the highway ditch. The worker was partially buried in the rock and soil.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Worker transport by water
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009154960389
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A landing craft was in transit with two workers onboard when it capsized.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Industrial or commercial construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009117080307
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A main electrical power supply cable became entangled during the operation of the manhoists at a construction site. This damaged the main electrical power supply cable and the bicycle pulley system used to guide the power supply cable when the manhoist moves up and down. High winds may have been a contributing factor in this incident.

Injury Type : Broken ankle
Core Activity : Power line installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009113820282
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker had climbed a wooden power pole to a height of about 10 feet when he slipped and fell to grade. The worker was wearing climbing spurs but did not use a climbing belt.

Injury Type : Multiple fractures, punctured lung
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700258
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker fell one level through an opening in the floor.
See a hazard alert about a worker who fell through an opening in a roof:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34669

Injury Type : Dislocated shoulder
Core Activity : Pressure washing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163730279
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was pressure washing a 53-foot trailer when he backed up and tripped over a large block of wood (used to support the landing gear of this kind of trailer). The worker tried to break his fall with his arm.

Injury Type : Lacerations to hand and arm
Core Activity : Tire change and installation
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009161980396
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was inflating a tire (16-inch diameter), newly mounted on an old rim (16.5-inch diameter), when the tire exploded. The force of the explosion launched the tire/rim assembly off the tire-changing machine and into the air. The worker was struck by the tire/rim and was transported to hospital by ambulance. A second worker then tried to mount another tire on the same rim. This tire exploded as well, but the worker was not injured.
See a slide show about tire-servicing incidents in which two workers died and one was seriously injured:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/publications/multimedia/slideshows.asp?ReportID=34001

Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Towing floating lodge
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009134520108
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was on a ledge of a floating lodge, trying to untangle a line, when the lodge floated into a dock. The worker was caught between the lodge and the dock.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009115132581
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A tower crane landed two pallets of concrete pavers on a balcony of the 26th floor. The top pallet of pavers was not secured and the pavers (about 2,200 pounds) fell to ground level.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site surface preparation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009163050290
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

While preparing for curb installation, a power curbing machine contacted a pressurized 8-inch gas line. No injuries or property damage occurred.

Injury Type : Amputated finger
Core Activity : Carpentry
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156240323
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was cross-cutting a piece of lumber with a portable circular saw. The saw blade pinched, causing the saw to kick back and contact the worker's hand. See a video segment about kickback from circular saws (part of a series on power tool safety): http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?reportid=35773

Injury Type : Electric shock
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009116080322
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker contacted the warming lamp fixture (110 volts) with metal serving tongs held in one hand, while the other hand contacted the serving counter.

Injury Type : Acid burns
Core Activity : Pipefitting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009111970227
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was breaking open a pipe flange to prepare a vessel for maintenance. Residual pressurized sulphuric acid in the line sprayed the worker. The injury was exacerbated by the difficulty of egress from the area.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Staking for rights-of-way
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160309
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Rights-of-way staking was being done adjacent to a previously located gas line. A rebar stake-pin was hand driven through a 4-inch gas line.

Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Drilling and blasting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009155980330
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A traffic control person (TCP) was directing traffic about 147 feet from a blast site. When the blast was detonated, fly rock struck the TCP.
See a slide show about another blasting incident in which fly rock struck a worker:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/SlideShows.asp?ReportID=34853

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Helicopter VFR operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009150180161
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A helicopter was pulling "sock line" for a power transmission line installation project. The work entails pulling the line from one 70-foot-high H-frame structure to another. The last structure in the row is a single straight pole 130 feet high. The helicopter was pulling the line by flying backwards so the operator could see the line. He was past the last H frame and nearing the single pole when the helicopter's main rotor (all 3 blades) struck the single pole just inches from the top. The helicopter rotated and its tail section then struck the pole. The pilot regained control of the helicopter, veered it away from the workers, ejected the lifting line (with attached 500-pound stabilization ball) in a safe area, then safely landed the helicopter a short distance away.

Injury Type : Chest pain
Core Activity : Asbestos abatement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710279
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was in an excavation to do the asbestos abatement of a water pipe. The excavation partly collapsed, and the worker was buried to his knees. As co-workers tried to free the worker, another collapse occurred, covering him up to his chest.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site preparation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009163050287
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A backhoe contacted a 25-kV primary line. Underground utilities were not accurately located before excavation began.

Injury Type : Fatal (non-worker)
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009136900170
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A child (non-worker) was fatally injured when plywood sheets standing on edge fell onto him.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Waste disposal
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009163710272
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A tractor with a 40-foot tri-axle trailer was dumping a load of demolition waste (55,950 kg) at a landfill site. The rig became unstable and rolled onto its side.

Injury Type : Crushed fingertip
Core Activity : Rigging and loading
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009160850237
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker was attempting to disengage a stay line on a load of steel light standards that had been placed by a truck-mounted crane. The load shifted in the rigging, and the base of one light standard crushed one of the worker's fingertips.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tugboat operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009137102961
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A tugboat was pulling a loaded barge to a remote construction project at the far end of a lake when the tugboat caught fire. Two workers were rescued uninjured.

Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Concrete manufacture and delivery
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009156160303
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A concrete truck was travelling up a steep asphalt grade in winter conditions (2 cm of slush/ice) and spun out. As the driver of the concrete truck was putting on tire chains with a helper, a private motor vehicle lost control going down the hill. The motor vehicle struck a guardrail and then the concrete truck driver, pinning him between the two vehicles.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009156580422
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

During road work, a 30-mm gas line was snagged. The weld at the base of a nipple cracked, causing a slow release of gas.

Injury Type : Foot injury
Core Activity : Ornamental nursery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009161480232
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

As workers were digging out a cedar tree, one worker's foot was pinched in the hydraulic spader (tree digger) attachment on a skid-steer loader.

Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Metal recycling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009131490347
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Two workers were using oxyacetylene cutting equipment to dismantle an old bulldozer at a scrap metal yard. One worker was working beneath the winch, at the back end of the bulldozer. The winch dislodged from the machine frame and fell onto the worker, causing fatal injuries.

Injury Type : Multiple fractures, internal injuries
Core Activity : Tree services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009156580424
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A worker fell about 45 feet from a tree when his chainsaw cut his rope.

Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Logging road maintenance
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2009114050374
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A grader was grading down a 13 percent forestry haul road. The operator stopped to make way for an oncoming car. As he tried to back up the grader, its engine stalled. The grader lost braking and steering capacity, travelled a short distance down the road, then went over the outer bank and rolled about 100 feet down a 75 percent slope.

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2009136970203
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

During work to install a water line, an excavator severed a 2-inch natural gas line.

Injury Type : Concussion
Core Activity : Manual tree falling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009152480287
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A faller was trying to fall a live cedar tree and an alder snag limb tied into the cedar. Falling cuts were put into both trees. As the cedar began to fall, pulling the alder along with it, the alder hung up in an adjacent live fir tree. This caused the alder's stem to break and fall back onto the faller.

Injury Type : Multiple fractures, internal injuries (non-worker)
Core Activity : Industrial construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700245
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

A non-worker was on a ladder, trying to access a roof. The ladder slipped and the person fell 15 feet.

Injury Type : Burns to upper body (2 workers)
Core Activity : Power line service
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009122700237
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Two workers (one of them a young worker) were injured by an arc flash in a manhole containing 25-kV power lines.

Injury Type : Serious injuries (2 non-workers)
Core Activity : Highway maintenance
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2009111110359
Date of Incident : 2009-Oct

Two non-workers were seriously injured when their motorcycle crashed into a flashing arrow board. The board was operating on the closed centre lane; the impact from the crash propelled the arrow board trailer 13 metres across the open right-side lane.

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