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WorkSafeBC

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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 Construction incidents are available online.

Construction - Incident Summaries

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

Construction incident summaries from other dates

2007 July - December

Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Blasting
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007117640470
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A small blast (using 1/4 case of powder) was detonated adjacent to a pre-drilled shear line for a bulk excavation. The loaded holes were double-matted to contain the blast, but nonetheless fly rock covered four cars in dust and small particles. It is believed that a loaded blast hole intersected with the shear line holes and allowed stemming material to enter the shear line hole. The blast gases escaped into the pre-drilled shear line, causing the stemming material and the top ring of the shear line hole to shoot into the surrounding area.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); minor cuts and bruises (1 young worker)
Core Activity : Electrical services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550303
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

Two workers were travelling in a personal vehicle. On a downhill portion of the road, the vehicle went out of control, left the road, travelled down the bank, and hit a tree. One worker died; the other (a young worker) suffered minor injuries.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550295
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

The raised dump box of a 40-ton rock truck contacted a communications line. The tension pulled the hydro pole over, causing the neutral and the single conductor of a 12-kV power line to also contact the dump box.
Injury Type : Broken leg
Core Activity : High-rise tower formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560515
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A tower crane was offloading a rebar delivery from a flatbed trailer. A swinging bundle of rebar struck a worker on the trailer, who then fell to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700363
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A shear pin on a flytable leg failed, causing the table to drop out of level. Two rollers were knocked off the thirty-first floor and struck the person-hoist.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : High-rise tower construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560513
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A tower crane's rigging became entangled with an on-site power pole and the associated guarding. Before the rigging was clear of the obstruction, the operator swung the crane. The rigging contacted the 25-kV power line.
Injury Type : Broken elbow, contusion to hip
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007113820335
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A worker was using a propane torch to melt ice on the roof of a wood-frame residential construction project when he fell 18 feet. The worker was not using a fall protection system.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebra
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007158820174
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A new worker was asked to remove snow from the roof of a residence under construction. As the worker stepped from a ladder onto the first-storey roof, he fell approximately 13 feet to the ground.
Sections 3.22 to 3.25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation deal with training and orientation of new (and young) workers. These sections of the Regulation came into effect on July 26, 2007. A guideline to help implement them is available at:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/ GuidelinePart3.asp#SectionNumber:G3.23
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation for underground utilities
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154960337
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A shoring cage at the edge of an excavation inadvertently slid. It ruptured an exposed section of an 8-inch natural gas line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560522
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

An excavator contacted a 14.4-kV underground conductor while trenching for drainage around the perimeter of a building. The prime contractor for the site had said there were no utilities in that area.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae
Core Activity : Building construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008138190020
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A worker fell approximately 10 feet from an extension ladder.
Injury Type : Electric shock
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008034450017
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

As a worker was installing electrical equipment, he contacted an energized 220-volt wire.
Injury Type : Fractured leg, foot
Core Activity : Residential roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970001
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A roofer on a residential roof with a 4:12 pitch disconnected his lanyard from the lifeline to retrieve a piece of material near the peak of the roof. The roofer slid 31 feet from the peak to the eaves and a further 38 feet to ground level.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to chest, abdomen
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270431
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A worker was attempting to remove a stapled-down plastic cover from a bundle of 2x4 lumber that was suspended 11 feet above grade (across a beam and the top plate of an exterior wall frame). The worker, who was not using any fall protection equipment, lost his footing on the adjacent, snow-covered open floor edge and jumped across a 7-foot expanse to grab onto another wall's top plate. His upper body landed on the top plate, and he was then able to lower himself to the ground.
Injury Type : Shoulder contusion
Core Activity : Placing tree in garden
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155730678
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A truck-mounted crane was placing a 25-foot-high tree in a prepared hole. The ground around the hole shifted, causing the tree to tip over onto the ground. A branch of the tree struck a young worker who was releasing the restraint straps above the root ball, and he fell to the ground (approximately 10 feet).
Injury Type : Back contusion
Core Activity : Installing roof panels
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115132021
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A worker on a roof was carrying a piece of lumber when he slipped and slid approximately 50 feet down the roof. He was prevented from falling off the roof by the guardrails. The lumber he had been carrying struck his back.
Injury Type : Bruising, scratches
Core Activity : Renovation of chimney exterior
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155730671
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A worker was moving a piece of 3/4-inch plywood that had been placed between scaffold planks. The worker stepped backward and fell between the planks. He landed on the lower scaffold deck, approximately 8.5 feet below. The gap between planks should be no more than 10 inches, but these planks had been placed 18 inches apart.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007156160317
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

Workers were retrofitting a water and sewer infrastructure under an underground utility. They excavated around the electrical conduit, leaving the conduit surrounded by frozen material. A large chunk of ice broke away, fracturing the conduit and severing phone and cable lines.
Injury Type : Crush injuries to hand
Core Activity : Dismantling a pulp mill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157270317
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A forklift operator was attempting to remove a cable that was hung up on the forklift. When the cable released, the operator's hand was crushed between the cable and the forklift.
Injury Type : Shock and irregular heartbeat
Core Activity : Highrise residential construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007118870797
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A young worker was attempting to remove a wooden block-out plug (in the concrete floor) for the interior tower crane electrical service line. The worker was using a pry bar and hammer to remove the plug when he inadvertently contacted the 600-volt line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Equipment hauling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007144250303
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A truck pulling a lowboy trailer transporting an off-road rock truck lost power while travelling up a steep hill. The driver unloaded the rock truck to lighten the trailer. The rock truck then started to slide down the hill. It went over the low side bank and came to rest on its side.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007137290341
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A roofer fell 12.5 feet from the eaves of a new roof.
Injury Type : Pain in chest and shoulder, numbness in foot
Core Activity : Concrete formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117670324
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec

A young worker was about 4 feet off the ground, secured to a gang form by a work position belt. He was injured when a gang form (13 feet high by 20 feet long) fell over onto him.
Injury Type : Penetrating eye injury
Core Activity : Wood-frame construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007112850216
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A young worker was operating a pneumatic nail gun when a nail discharged into his eye.
See a WorkSafe bulletin on preventing nail gun injuries:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/publications/posters.asp?reportID=34835
Injury Type : Broken leg, fractured foot bone
Core Activity : Concrete forming
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008156160004
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A bracket on a temporary wood-frame scaffold/platform broke. The worker on the platform fell 8 feet to ground level.
Injury Type : Swelling and pain in arm
Core Activity : Viaduct construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157560018
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A zoom-boom-type forklift was travelling along a crowned haul road with a 30-degree side slope. It was carrying a 1,600-pound bundle of rebar hung from a sling on the elevated boom. As the forklift travelled, the bundle was swinging. The forklift tipped and rolled over.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Drilling and blasting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007037470373
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A large blast was fired but 21 blast holes failed to fire. On reblast of these holes, fly rock damaged a house approximately 500 feet away.
See a slide show about another fly rock incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/SlideShows.asp?ReportID=34853
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Dismantling of pulp mill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157270318
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

Two workers were removing a sill beam. When the last bolt was removed, the beam rotated and pinned one worker's leg against the drive gear.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation and site preparation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007161950035
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator was loading loose soil from an excavation into a dump truck. The excavator's bucket contacted and ruptured a natural gas line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation and site preparation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157600306
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

To prepare a site for curb and sidewalk installation, an excavator was removing road surface material. Although the gas main had been located by hand, the corner of the excavator's bucket caught the gas line, and pulled it apart at an expansion joint.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Concrete placing and finishing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007105910285
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker was placing concrete in a ground-level sidewalk form, holding a rubber hose from the concrete boom truck. A sudden release of concrete from the hose caused the worker to be thrown backwards. The worker fell to the ground, fatally striking his head on a piece of wood debris.
See a hazard alert based on this incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35277
Injury Type : Puncture wound to chest
Core Activity : House construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007118870772
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

As a young worker repositioned a nail gun, it discharged into his chest.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to neck, shoulder, wrist; facial injuries
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007161980012
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A young worker was climbing down a frame scaffold erected on the second storey of a house under construction. He fell to the main floor, approximately 16 feet.
Injury Type : Bruising to head and upper body
Core Activity : Tunnel boring
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550291
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker was installing shoring on the top side of the tunnel just behind the cutting head of the tunnel-boring machine. A rock fell from the top side of the tunnel, striking the back of the worker's head. The worker tumbled approximately 4 feet.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Transporting rebar
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157270294
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A rough-terrain forklift was travelling with its boom up, transporting a load of rebar suspended below the forks with a chain. The forklift went down an incline and turned at the same time, causing it to roll over onto its side.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Commercial construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700333
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

As a large precast concrete panel weighing approximately 9.5 tons was being lifted, a 25-pound piece of concrete above one of the lifting anchors released. The piece of concrete landed about 60 feet from the panel.
Injury Type : Deep bruising of upper body
Core Activity : Excavation for sewer, storm sewer, and utility line installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157520418
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator was repositioning a trench box using chains attached to the engineered lifting points when the chain broke. A section of the broken chain struck a worker.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis, internal injuries
Core Activity : Mobile crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155730632
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

During residential framing, an articulating boom crane was placing a glue-laminated beam on two wood columns. The crane's load-side outrigger had been placed on the lid of a catch-basin. As the crane hoisted the heavy beam, the outrigger punched through the lid. The crane tipped, injuring the operator.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation and site service installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550264
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator excavating for a lamp standard contacted a 25-kV underground conductor.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007064400028
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A roofer slipped on wet sawdust on the roof of a 2-storey building under construction. It appears that his fall protection system had too much slack, and he fell 20 feet to the ground. Fall protection equipment on the site, as well as training and supervision, were found to be inadequate.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550253
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator contacted the inboard conductor of the 14-kV overhead power lines.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installation of self-erecting crane
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007034450403
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

At a highrise construction site, a new self-erecting crane was being installed. The crane's supplier was assisted by a worker who was not trained to operate a crane. As the worker swung the crane's jib, the load line contacted a 14.4-kV power line. The electrical charge travelled to ground through the pads of the crane.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007120030333
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker was sheathing a roof 28-30 feet above ground level. The worker slid off the roof and went into free fall for approximately 3 feet before being stopped by his fall arrest equipment.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007120030332
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker was performing roofing activities when he fell 28-30 feet to the ground. He was wearing a fall protection harness but was not connected to a lifeline.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Trenching for sewer line
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550294
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A backhoe contacted and broke a 3/4-inch gas line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Blasting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550292
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

Fly rock from a blast site struck nearby houses.
Injury Type : Injuries to leg, subsequently requiring amputation
Core Activity : Bailey bridge installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007109910251
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker was pinned between a component of a Bailey bridge and an excavator.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Scaffold erecting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080366
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

The suspension anchorage system for a suspended stairway tower scaffold failed. The stairway tower, which led to and from a deep bulk excavation, dropped approximately 3 feet.
Injury Type : Broken leg
Core Activity : Masonry
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550293
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A worker fell approximately 6 feet from a scaffold deck. His leg struck a concrete curb.
Injury Type : Contusions to abdomen, lower back
Core Activity : Commercial building construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007105910286
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

Two workers were in an elevated scissor lift. One worker was operating the controls while the second worker was welding open webbed joists in place. To adjust position for the welder, the operator slowly moved the lift forward. As he moved the throttle, the brake disengaged and the scissor lift lunged backwards. The worker at the controls was pinned between the railing of the scissor lift and the bottom edge of a joist.
Injury Type : Lacerated leg
Core Activity : Pile driving
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560491
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A young worker was using a chainsaw to cut the top off a timber pile that had been driven into the ground. The chainsaw contacted a nearby 6x6-inch piece of dunnage and kicked back, striking the worker's leg. He was not wearing leg protection chaps at the time.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis, leg
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007137290329
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator was positioning a large concrete lock block (1920 kg) when the block struck a worker.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880529
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

A concrete pumper truck was setting up for a concrete pour when the site's self-erecting tower crane swung into the area to perform a lift. The boom of the crane and the boom of the pumper truck collided.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Preparing lot for residential foundation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007156240235
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An excavator was removing soil to prepare a site for building. Its bucket hooked an underground electrical conductor casing, causing the primary conductor to break contact with the pad-mounted transformer approximately 60 metres away. The location of underground utility services had not been accurately determined before excavating began.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131980
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov

An engineered bulk excavation developed a 12-inch crack approximately 40 feet up from the bottom of the 80-foot excavation. The excavation face was backfilled to stabilize it.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Land clearing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007110750488
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator contacted a 14.4-kV power line. The line snapped and flipped up into a 25-kV line, knocking out power to a large area.
Injury Type : Punctured lung, broken ribs and arm, lacerations
Core Activity : Metal-frame building construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880496
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker was on top of a steel beam in a metal frame building. As he repositioned his fall protection lanyard, he slipped and fell 19 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Land clearing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550250
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator contacted and damaged a 14-kV underground conductor.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Oilfield construction
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007144250292
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker had been cleaning garbage out of the back of a truck. While climbing out of the truck, he grabbed the side rack for support. The rack gave way, and the worker fell to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road paving
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880506
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator's bucket ruptured a 1.25-inch natural gas line. Although the gas service was known, the location of the line had not been accurately determined before excavation began.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270327
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a backhoe was removing turf for the installation of a concrete pad at a bus stop, it ruptured a natural gas line.
Injury Type : Head and neck injuries
Core Activity : Site services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700311
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator was moving material. Its bucket struck a worker who was surveying on the worksite.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road building on dike
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880503
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator was building a road on top of a river dike. The excavator swung and contacted a 25-kV power line overhead.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installation of residential water service
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157520378
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

While digging to expose a water main for water line tie-in work, a backhoe ruptured an underground gas line. Although utilities had been located and marked before excavating started, the scope used to locate them produced inconclusive readings near an adjacent light standard. The gas company suggests that in such cases readings be taken at a point farther along and, after locating the gas line in that area, trace it back towards the location where the scope reading was inconclusive. This would give the crew a reference point to draw the line through to most accurately determine the location of the underground gas utility.
Injury Type : Concussion, neck strain
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007156160286
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

On a construction site, forms were being stripped from cement columns. One formwork section, about 3.5 feet x 10 feet (weighing 200 pounds), fell away uncontrolled and struck a worker on his hardhat. It then became wedged against the adjacent column, which prevented it from full free-fall.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Tilt-up construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007116120273
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

The bucket of a stationary tractor was being tilted when it struck a tilt-up concrete perimeter wall 6 inches thick, 9.5 feet high, and 30 feet long. The wall fell over, fatally crushing a worker.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Drilling and blasting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007037470351
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

Fly material from a blast damaged the window of a residence and the windshield of a truck.
Injury Type : Broken neck, broken back, fractured pelvis, internal injuries
Core Activity : Siding installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007155730596
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker was working alone on a frosty 5:12 sloped roof. There was no fall protection available, and he fell approximately 19 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Roof preparation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007155700271
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As workers were preparing steel z-bar for installation on a roof, one 10-foot-long piece started to slide. Attempting to prevent it from sliding off the roof, a worker also slid off the roof.
Injury Type : Serious leg injuries
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007144250289
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A backhoe was unloading concrete barrier blocks (each weighing 2200 pounds) from a tractor-trailer. Lifting chains were wrapped around a block but when the backhoe lifted the block, the load was not level. The backhoe operator got out of his machine to inform the truck driver that the block needed to be rehooked. As the operator re-entered the backhoe, his coveralls caught the safety lockout lever, releasing it. He then inadvertently contacted a joystick that caused the boom and load to swing. The concrete block struck and injured the truck driver.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane dismantling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560442
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

The jib of a tower crane was allowed to partially slew (swing/rotate) during the jacking stage of the crane's disassembly. This is of concern because while the tower is jacked (to remove a section of mast), the centre of gravity shifts from the centre of the tower to the centre of the jack, nearer to the edge of the tower. Rotation of the jib during this manoeuvre upsets the balance and could cause the jib to fall from the tower.
Injury Type : Smoke inhalation
Core Activity : Application of deck membrane
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560444
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker was using a propane torch to dry the surface of a membrane applied to a sundeck when materials ignited. In the ensuing fire, the worker suffered smoke inhalation. A fire extinguisher was not immediately available, and three suites, as well as the roof of the 4-storey apartment building, were damaged.
Injury Type : Broken nose, cracked vertebrae
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007154960292
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A young worker started to descend from a steep-slope residential roof via an aluminum ladder fitted with a material hoist. The ladder suddenly buckled at a side rail connection. The worker fell approximately 15 feet to grade. The material hoist ladder was marked "Do not climb."
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker, 5 non-workers)
Core Activity : Natural gas appliances servicing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007127840037
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker was on a service call at an apartment building when he and five other people were murdered.
Injury Type : Lower back pain
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560434
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A roofer was stripping an old roofing membrane from a flat roof that had an opening to a small courtyard in the middle of the building. He fell through the roof opening and landed 9.5 feet below.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080337
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a tower crane was lowering equipment to street level, its load line contacted an energized cable for transit vehicles.
Injury Type : Facial laceration
Core Activity : Residential wood frame construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007159110079
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a rolling scaffold was being repositioned, a tool fell from the work platform and struck a worker.
Injury Type : Concussion; several fractured bones; collapsed lung; internal organ injury
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007097990230
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker fell 3 metres from an unguarded scaffold. He struck the deck below and then fell an additional 4.5 metres to ground. The total fall was 7.5 metres (25 feet).
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Wood-frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129160141
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker fell through a large opening in the second floor and landed approximately 13 feet below.
See a hazard alert poster about a similar incident in which a worker was seriously injured:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34669
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injury to ankle
Core Activity : Cutting pipe
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880468
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A young worker was using a cutting torch to cut in half a reclaimed pipe pile (120 feet long, 24 inches in diameter). The worker completed half the cut, then moved to the opposite side of the pipe. This put the worker between the pipe being cut and another 24-inch pipe pile yet to be cut. The pipe being cut, which had not been chocked, rolled and struck the worker.
Injury Type : Broken shoulder, laceration, bruising
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129160136
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker wearing personal fall protection slipped on the wet surface of an unguarded roof and fell off. His lifeline had too much slack, and he free-fell 13 feet, bouncing off a dormer partway down. His fall was stopped when he was approximately 3 feet above the ground. A lifeline should be adjusted at the rope grab to ensure that the total length is not greater than the distance to the roof edge.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site surface preparation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700297
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator dug up and severed the primary electrical feed to a building, damaging the high-voltage transformer.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Concrete formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700296
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a worker was accessing a work platform, a guardrail came loose. The worker fell approximately 12 feet to a concrete slab.
Injury Type : Fractured ankles
Core Activity : Industrial construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700295
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker lost his footing on a ladder and slid 12 feet down the ladder rails.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700294
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

An excavator snagged and ruptured two underground gas lines.
Injury Type : Compression fracture of spine
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007113820282
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A decommissioned wooden fire escape was being used as a scaffold. While a young worker was on the fire escape, its wooden steps collapsed under his weight. He fell to the ground, approximately 20 feet below.
Injury Type : Fractured arm, leg
Core Activity : Siding installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550219
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker slid off a roof with a 6/12 pitch and fell approximately 18 feet.
Injury Type : Broken ribs, injury to chest wall
Core Activity : Excavation work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130399
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A young worker fell into an excavation and landed on a concrete block 20 feet below.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete coring
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155070229
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A concrete coring machine contacted an energized 12-kV conductor. The resulting power outage affected the surrounding area as well as the work site.
Injury Type : Fractured ribs; injuries to arm and ankle
Core Activity : Mechanical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007137102260
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A welder was walking in the attic of a commercial building, stepping on trusses approximately 36 inches apart. His foot slipped and he fell through the drywall ceiling and landed on the concrete floor 16 feet below. There was no adequate walkway or work platform.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Truss hoisting
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930381
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a truck-mounted crane with a telescoping boom hoisted trusses, it two-blocked. The hoist line was damaged.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis
Core Activity : Installation of drain pipe
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157410184
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

Two workers were installing concrete pipe in a trench measuring 190 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 7 feet deep. A 20-foot section of the trench wall failed, burying one of the workers (a young worker) up to his chest. Other workers extracted the worker and called emergency services.
Injury Type : Amputation of one finger, crushing of two fingers
Core Activity : Rock blasting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007116120258
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

As a worker cleared pieces of rock from around the stationary bit of a rock drill, the drill's shroud dropped down onto his fingers.
Injury Type : Cuts and abrasions to arm
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007120030289
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A young worker was sharpening the end of a nail puller with a hand-held angle grinder. The grinder did not have a guard. When the 9-inch grinding disc shattered, shrapnel from the disc struck the worker's arm.
See a hazard alert poster about a similar incident where a worker died:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=33277
Injury Type : Back pain
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154960267
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct

A worker fell 10 feet, 5 inches to grade from a scaffold work platform. The scaffold did not have guardrails and no other fall protection equipment was provided.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis, soft-tissue injuries to back and legs
Core Activity : Condominium construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157270234
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A forklift was being used to raise a gang-form panel. After the panel was unhooked from the raised forks, the operator retracted the forklift's outriggers. The forklift tipped forward, striking a nearby worker.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tunnelling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550218
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A 100-ton truck-mounted hydraulic crane tipped over while placing a 500-pound pump in a settling pond.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550215
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A 100-ton conventional crane truck contacted overhead 60-kV power lines that crossed the highway.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Roadside brushing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007136960379
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A rubber-tired mechanical brusher was crossing a wood-decked bridge when the cross-ties broke. The machine rolled over and landed upside down in a slough.
Injury Type : Penetration wound to chest
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930358
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A nail penetrated the chest of a worker using an air nailer.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site preparation for gravelling and paving
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930335
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A backhoe was preparing a parking lot site for paving when it contacted an underground gas line.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to shoulder and arm
Core Activity : Stucco application
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007034450344
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A young worker was on an end-frame scaffold, working on exterior stucco. The worker fell approximately 7 feet to grade. The scaffold did not have guardrails at this time, although they had been installed when the scaffold was erected.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavator operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157530319
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

An excavator was operating beneath a guy wire (approximately 20 feet above grade), a secondary power line, and a primary power line (14.4-kV). The excavator moved forward and caught the guy wire, pulling down the attached power pole (located across the street). The power lines grounded themselves on the excavator arm and de-energized. The operator jumped from the excavator and moved a safe distance away. Seconds later the primary line re-energized and burst into flames.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Unloading materials from a truck
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880434
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

As the boom of a mobile crane was being extended, its whip line was two-blocked. The whip line cable broke and the headache ball fell to the deck of the truck being unloaded, narrowly missing the rigger.
Injury Type : Non-injury
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560406
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A worker slipped on a residential rooftop. His fall protection equipment prevented him from falling 30 feet.
Injury Type : Chest and shoulder strains
Core Activity : Upgrading earth- and rock-filled dam
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560404
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A fully loaded six-wheel-drive rock truck went out of control while travelling down a 9 percent grade haul road. The truck went over the edge of a 20-foot embankment and rolled, coming to rest upside down. The driver, who was wearing his seat belt, sustained minor injuries.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560393
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

During the concrete pour of a 4-storey apartment building's perimeter footings, a front outrigger of a 50-metre concrete pump truck was set up on a lock block because of the soft clay soil underneath. After a heavy rainfall, the supporting lock block slipped out from under the outrigger, causing it to sink its full depth (4-5 feet) into the clay. The boom of the concrete pump was extended 110 feet when the truck started to tip over. It stopped when the end of the boom came to rest in the freshly poured concrete. The boom narrowly missed three workers.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installation of waterproofing compound
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130374
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A waterproofing primer was being applied to apartment decks. Flammable vapours built up inside and underneath a deck. When an open-flame propane torch was lighted, the vapours exploded.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080310
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A self-erecting tower crane was working near high-voltage power lines without a safety watcher to monitor the crane's movement. The load line contacted the unguarded power line and was completely severed, causing the load block to fall to street level. It narrowly missed the crane operator, who was operating the pendant controls.
Injury Type : Back strain and contusions
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970507
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A roofer unhooked his lanyard from the lifeline before descending from the roof on a ladder. He slipped and fell 9 feet to the ground, landing on his back.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Land clearing, excavation, site preparation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007137290255
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

The driver of a service truck was injured while attempting to enter the truck to stop it from rolling down an incline.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Mobile crane operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970487
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

The load line of a 22-ton mobile crane hit a 24-kV overhead power line.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis; internal bleeding
Core Activity : Repair of marine pleasure craft
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007159110060
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A worker was inspecting a sailboat on stands in the dryland area of a marina, to see what repairs were needed. As he descended from the deck on a job-built wooden ladder, carrying some tools, he slipped and fell approximately 10 feet to the gravel surface below. The wooden ladder did not reach the top of the deck.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Road paving
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007144250256
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A backhoe was being transported on a lowboy trailer pulled by a truck. The backhoe snagged a communications line, causing a power pole to snap and a power line to break.
Injury Type : Bruising to back, hip
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007113830225
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A young worker was using a shovel to remove old cedar shakes on a 12:12 roof when he slipped and slid down the roof. As he reached the end of the roof, he jumped for the gutter of a neighbouring house. He grabbed the gutter and then fell backwards, hitting first a fence and then the ground. He fell 24 feet from the steep roof. Fall protection had been set up and equipment left on the roof the previous night, but when workers accessed the roof the next day there was no adequate training or supervision to ensure they used the fall protection system.
Sections 3.22 to 3.25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation deal with training and orientation of new (and young) workers. These sections of the Regulation came into effect on July 26, 2007. A guideline to help implement them is available at:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/ GuidelinePart3.asp#SectionNumber:G3.23
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157530295
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

Wood trusses (60 feet long) were being installed on a single-storey building. Because of inadequate training and supervision, the workers did not use enough temporary truss braces. The braces failed, causing half of the trusses (about 20) to overturn and push out part of the wood-frame exterior wall.
See a video about long span trusses that presents the basic rules to prevent a truss system from collapsing:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?ReportID=34285
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007131490242
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A boom truck was moved while its boom was in a raised position. The boom contacted and pulled down an energized overhead 120-volt power line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880411
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A tower crane was moving a manufactured gang-form panel (24 feet x 15 feet) when the rigging on the panel failed. The panel fell 12 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Electrical burns to hand
Core Activity : Mechanical installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880405
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A plumber was preparing to drill into an overhead concrete slab. During this preparation, a wire nut (marrette) covering a live 347-volt conductor for lighting became dislodged. The worker contacted the uncovered conductor, sustaining electrical burns.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Underground utilities installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560388
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A trench was being excavated for the installation of underground utilities. A high-voltage conductor was damaged when a rock was dragged across it.
Injury Type : Light bump to the head
Core Activity : Backfilling an excavation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155730530
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

During backfilling operations, a mini-excavator fell approximately 5 feet into the basement foundation. The operator jumped clear before the machine went over the edge.
Injury Type : Crush injury to foot
Core Activity : Carpentry and concrete work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155070207
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A worker was patching a parkade entry ramp when a forklift ran over his foot.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Water line installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130351
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A gas pipeline was ruptured when one side of a trench excavation partially collapsed.
Injury Type : Head and body trauma
Core Activity : Land clearing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700257
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A dump truck had backed diagonally up a steep roadway. As it dumped the box, it flipped onto its side. The cab contacted a pile of fill and was crushed. The driver was not wearing a seat belt.
Injury Type : Fractured leg, puncture wound, bruised ribs
Core Activity : Mobile crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007137102217
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A 30-ton mobile crane was loading the counterjib section of a tower crane onto a flat deck trailer when a component of the mobile crane failed. The mobile crane flopped over, trapping the operator inside its cab.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Highrise construction
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007117640364
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A section of shotcrete (60 feet long by 30 feet high) failed. The sidewalk and pedestrian protective hoarding slid into the building excavation.
Injury Type : Cuts (2 workers)
Core Activity : Masonry
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560371
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

Two workers engaged in a fist fight while on the job. A third worker intervened to break it up. The employer had been aware of escalating tension between the workers.
Injury Type : Laceration, bruising, abrasions
Core Activity : Plumbing installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080280
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A vent shaft opening in the 14th floor of a highrise building was covered but the cover was not secured. A young worker fell through the opening and landed one storey below.
See a hazard alert poster about a similar incident in which a worker was seriously injured:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34669
Injury Type : Cracked shoulder bone, rib, vertebra; lung injury; bruising
Core Activity : Repair of electrical pole cross-arms
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007117640362
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep

A lineman (a young worker) was preparing to overbuild a telecommunications lead with a 3-phase light-angle cross-arm and stringing equipment. The worker descended the pole, using the two-belt system to climb past the neutral traveller. He used the rope belt to secure himself below the traveller and released the pole strap from the right-side D ring. When he leaned back into the second rope belt, the snap on the left-side D ring came free. The worker fell away from the pole and as he fell, he grabbed the telecommunications lead, which was located 12 feet below his initial position. The lead slowed his fall but he continued to fall another 20 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107270068
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

The operator of a concrete pumper retracted and stowed the front right outrigger of the unit while the 90-foot boom assembly was in a fully extended vertical position. The carrier unit upset and the boom crashed to the ground.
Injury Type : Contusions to chest, leg, elbow
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007143950211
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As a worker walked on a sheet of oriented strand board (15/32-inch OSB) that covered a stairwell opening, the board broke. The worker fell through the opening approximately 10 feet to the next landing, and then fell approximately 5 feet more to the next floor.
Watch a video about preventing falls through openings:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?ReportID=34741
See a hazard alert about a similar incident in which a worker was seriously injured:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34669
Injury Type : Broken nose, bruises
Core Activity : Log home construction
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007131490245
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker was installing roofing components on a log home under construction. The worker was standing on top of a wall when he lost his balance and fell approximately 12 feet to grade.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700239
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

The rigging chains of a self-erecting tower crane contacted overhead transit trolley lines.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Water main installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700238
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

An excavator dug up and damaged two 1-inch gas lines and one water line.
Injury Type : Broken arm
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970432
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker was on the second-storey wall plate of a house accepting 15-foot roof trusses from fellow workers. The worker fell, landing approximately 18 feet below.
Injury Type : Exposure to herbicide (5 workers)
Core Activity : Seismic line cutting
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007124490085
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

Workers on a seismic project were oversprayed by a helicopter conducting aerial herbicide application to a previously harvested cutblock. Five workers, including one young worker, may have been exposed to the herbicide.
Injury Type : Strained back muscles
Core Activity : Earth fill dam upgrade
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560347
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

Two offroad haul trucks met on a blind corner. They sideswiped each other and narrowly avoided going 60-70 feet down a steep bank. One worker sustained minor injuries. There had been a breakdown in radio procedures.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae
Core Activity : Residential wood frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700229
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

On a construction site, a young worker was on a third-floor balcony with no guardrails. He was throwing garbage into a bin below when he fell 25 feet to grade.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Tower crane operations
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080269
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A tower crane was two-blocked. The upper limit device had not been installed and adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and instructions.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131879
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A tower crane two-blocked while attempting to change from a 2-part line to a 4-part line.
Injury Type : Fractured foot
Core Activity : Road construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550194
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

One track of a hydraulic drill ran over a worker's foot.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007058250399
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

An excavator was digging out a concrete head wall to connect a surface storm sewer pipe. The excavator's bucket struck and ruptured a 3-inch natural gas line.
Injury Type : Sprains and abrasions (4 workers)
Core Activity : Placing and finishing concrete
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007159110051
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As concrete was being poured for the suspended slab of the first floor of an apartment building, the slab collapsed. Four workers, including 2 young workers, sustained minor injuries.
Injury Type : Head abrasion, bruising from seat belt
Core Activity : Rock truck operations
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930301
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A rock truck was operating on a hill when it rolled. The driver was wearing his seat belt and sustained just minor injuries.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Backfilling and excavating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007156580268
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As a dump truck dumped a load of backfill, it pulled down overhead service lines.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Moving granite rock
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157270203
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As an excavator was moving rocks, the bucket swung around and hit a transformer vault, tripping the power to an adjacent building.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Drilling and blasting equipment services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560340
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A mechanic was servicing a rock drill. When he was finished, he attempted to park the rock drill and inadvertently drove it off the side of the terraced hill.
Injury Type : Broken leg
Core Activity : Installing stair trim
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880370
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker opened a second-floor door and stepped into an elevator shaft. The worker fell 16 feet.
Injury Type : Broken ribs, leg
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880376
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker was setting the first fall protection anchor on a residential roof when he slipped and fell to the ground (approximately 17 feet).
Injury Type : Fractured wrist
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880377
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A young worker set up an extension ladder to access a roof. As he was climbing the ladder, the locks of the fly section disengaged. The fly section retracted and the worker fell approximately 10 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous atmosphere (2 workers)
Core Activity : Bridge construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007159480053
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

Two workers tested a confined space but did not ventilate it, as required, before entering. When one worker felt dizzy and nauseous, both exited the space to fresh air and immediately felt better.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Sewer line installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007128230235
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

During the installation of a new sewer line, an old 6-inch sewer line was located and exposed by hand. The old line was in the way so needed to be removed. A worker cut into it with a chop saw and inadvertently severed a live 60-mm gas line that was inside the old sewer line.
Injury Type : Second-degree burns to face, hands
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007122700217
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As an electrician removed a thermometer from the thermowell on a 500,000-gallon liquid asphalt tank, the thermowell released. The worker was burned by liquid asphalt.
Injury Type : Lacerated wrist
Core Activity : Excavation work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080262
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A track-mounted excavator was positioned on an excavation ramp constructed and supported by a vertical retaining wall of interlocking concrete blocks. The wall, which was approximately 20 feet high, collapsed and the excavator rolled over into the excavation.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131866
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A fly table leg and foot assembly weighing approximately 50 pounds fell from the 6th floor of a building under construction. The assembly landed on a vehicle and broke its windshield.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis, lacerated leg
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131863
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker was repairing an old barn roof. The 2x4 supporting the metal roofing broke under the worker's weight, and he fell through the roof to grade (approximately 22 feet). The aluminum sheeting he was working on had not been properly installed or secured.
Injury Type : Electric shock (2 workers)
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007113820233
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A concrete pumper truck placing concrete at a commercial construction site contacted an energized overhead power line.
Injury Type : Fractured arm
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970428
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A young worker laid a sheet of plywood on the floor joists of a house, then used his foot to move the end of the plywood into position. As he did this, the sheet flipped upwards and the worker fell 9 feet to the basement below.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930292
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

While excavating a shallow trench in a residential area, a trenching machine contacted a gas service line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131861
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

An excavator struck and ruptured a 6-inch pressurized natural gas line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Re-shore removal
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131857
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A steel re-shore, weighing approximately 50 pounds, fell from a 10th-floor balcony to the roof of the display suite at grade.
Injury Type : Compression fracture of spine; pain in back, head
Core Activity : Exterior painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131858
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A young worker fell from the second and third steps of a wooden 6-foot stepladder to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Residential wood frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700213
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

An excavator bucket contacted a building's primary electrical feed (from a 25-kV switch gear vault).
Injury Type : Puncture wound and abrasion to leg, lacerations to arm
Core Activity : Demolition
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550192
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker was reportedly throwing lumber down from the flat portion of a partially demolished garage. A nail caught his shirt and he was pulled off the building. He fell approximately 16 feet and landed on the dunnage pile.
Injury Type : Fractured skull and arm, shoulder injury
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 2007113820207
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A conventional crane was placing an extracted pile on the deck of a barge. The load cell unit affixed to the jib of the crane broke away from the boom. The load cell unit fell 75 feet, striking a worker who was placing dunnage for the extracted pile. Components used to mount the load cell on the crane were job-built, not supplied by the manufacturer.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installation of anchors for buoys
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007119700198
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A rubber-tracked crawler crane was working from a barge, placing buoy anchors in a lake. The crane slipped off the barge and sank in approximately 25 feet of water.
Injury Type : Fractured collarbone, ribs; mild concussion; head laceration
Core Activity : Concrete reinforcing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131837
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As a worker attempted to bend a piece of reinforcing steel over a metal beam, the reinforcing steel slipped. The worker lost his balance and fell to the concrete floor (just under 14 feet). No form of fall protection was being used.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, ribs, leg, arm; injuries to head
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007034450277
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A concrete pumper was descending a road with a 10 percent grade when the truck lost a portion of its braking system. The truck left the road 100 feet uphill from a 90-degree hairpin curve. The driver was found 50 feet back from the truck.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007128230213
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

An excavator contacted and broke a 25-kV underground conductor.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, ribs
Core Activity : Plumbing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700200
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As a worker was installing pipe hangers, he fell from a stepladder to the concrete floor 7 feet below.
Injury Type : Deep gash to arm
Core Activity : Site services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700201
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A worker either stepped backwards or lost his balance and fell into an excavation. He landed on top of another worker, who was operating a cutoff saw with a 12-inch diamond blade. The arm of the worker who fell contacted the rotating saw blade.
Injury Type : Electric shock
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700197
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A young worker was injured while connecting a mislabelled live 110/208 electrical feed to an electrical panel.
Injury Type : Fractured ribs, internal injuries
Core Activity : Painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700196
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

As a tractor-trailer pulled out of a warehouse loading dock, it hit a scissor-lift with a worker on it and knocked the lift onto its side.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Asphalt paving
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007130570295
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug

A skid-steer front-end loader was removing about 4 inches of soil in preparation for paving a residential driveway. It struck a cement block containing the 120-volt electrical service for the residence, severing the electrical conductor. Underground utilities had not been accurately located before excavating began.
Injury Type : Pain in upper back and neck
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007127840025
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

Workers were setting up falsework at a construction site. As one worker removed a joist, he inadvertently struck a shoring post, causing the falsework to collapse. A second worker, who was standing on top of the falsework, fell approximately 10 feet to the floor.
Injury Type : Concussion, multiple fractures (non-worker)
Core Activity : Demolition and reconstruction of a residence
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007105910207
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker on a job site invited a non-worker onto the site to access the pre-fabricated platform of a 30-foot scaffold to enjoy the view. The worker then left the platform to help with a task on the site. Several minutes later the workers on site heard a shout and found the non-worker lying on the ground at the base of the scaffold.
Injury Type : Back and neck strain
Core Activity : Pipeline replacement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007152480215
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A side-boom tractor was working on a 24 percent slope. As it attempted to lift a section of pipeline, it flipped over backwards.
Injury Type : Pain in hips, bruising
Core Activity : Drilling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970401
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A rock drill rolled over an embankment, narrowly missing the operator.
Injury Type : Compound fracture of leg
Core Activity : Exterior painting of highrise building
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007155400268
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A 7-metre swing stage was being lowered to the ground with 3 workers inside. Two workers on the ground were helping to pull the swing stage away from the building as it descended. The worker in the centre of the swing stage tied part of his safety rope to the top handrail bar of the swing stage while the free end was pulled by a worker on the ground. The two workers at each end of the swing stage continued to drive it down. However, the rope on the handrail prevented the swing stage from lowering evenly, so the swing stage became suspended at an angle, with the left end much lower than the right end. The handrail that had the safety rope attached to it then broke, causing the right end to drop suddenly. There was enough slack line to allow the right end to quickly descend approximately 20 feet, stopping just above the ground. The worker on the right end was not connected to his safety rope and was injured by the safety device when the swing stage came to an abrupt stop. The other two workers were suspended by their safety ropes at heights exceeding 12 feet.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis
Core Activity : Highrise construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007066160077
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker was stripping forms while standing on a scaffold. He lost his balance and fell backwards to the ground 8 feet below.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavation for residential basement/foundation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270209
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

The knuckle of an excavator's boom contacted the lower secondary phase of a 120/240-volt overhead power line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Blasting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560528
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A member of the public found an unsecured explosive cartridge on a construction site after working hours.
Injury Type : Shortness of breath, increased heart rate, disorientation (2 workers)
Core Activity : Plumbing installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007129920256
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

Two plumbers had drained a 4-inch, yet-to-be-commissioned potable water distribution line. They noticed an odour like rotten eggs or stagnant water and experienced symptoms of exposure to a potentially hazardous substance.
Injury Type : Laceration to head
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157520267
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker was applying roof flashing materials on a 14/12 pitch, lower-level roof. He fell to the ground (approximately 13 feet).
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Renovation of sports stadium
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270205
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A 600-pound, 23-foot-long iron beam was being installed to create a temporary hoist platform for a dehumidifier. The beam was lifted into position and secured at one end with a single steel bolt (3/4 inches in diameter). The bolt was the only means of support while the unattached crane was repositioning to lift the other end for fastening. The bolt sheared, and the beam fell approximately 45 feet. One end of the beam punctured a hole in the concrete below.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Bridge construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007156580249
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An operator was travelling a crane back to a central location after its boom had been disassembled. The crane contacted the ground wire associated for low-voltage power lines, creating an electrical arc.
Injury Type : Bruises
Core Activity : Paving services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007156580245
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A young worker was flushing trenches in a crouched position when he was struck by a pickup truck backing up out of its parking stall. The worker yelled out and the driver immediately stopped the vehicle, then drove forward, away from the worker.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Sewer construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007128230205
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An excavator ruptured a 3/4-inch low-pressure gas line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Trenching/ditching for sewer and drainage pipes
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157600223
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An excavator's bucket struck a buried crude oil pipeline while preparing a site for the installation of a sanitary sewer manhole.
Injury Type : Concussion, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Industrial heavy equipment service and repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007156680152
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A heavy equipment moving company was installing a large milling machine at a manufacturing plant. To retrieve wooden dunnage from on top of the boom truck, a worker climbed a 10-foot stepladder. The ladder tipped over and the worker fell 8-9 feet.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Excavating
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007143950188
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An excavator contacted and damaged an underground 14.4-kV electrical conductor.
Injury Type : Concussion
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157270191
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A young worker was retrieving a piece of roofing material when he tripped and fell 10 feet, 8 inches from a balcony without guarding.
Sections 3.22 to 3.25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation deal with training and orientation of young or new workers. These sections of the Regulation came into effect on July 26, 2007. A guideline to help implement them is available at:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/ GuidelinePart3.asp#SectionNumber:G3.23
Injury Type : Fractured vertebra and pelvis
Core Activity : Wood framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155070183
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

While working on a new single-family dwelling, a framer fell approximately 29 feet from the bottom chord of a roof truss. The worker passed through two vertically aligned uncovered staircase openings and landed on a concrete slab at basement level.
Injury Type : Crushing injuries to upper body
Core Activity : Concrete pumping
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007159110032
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

The operator of a concrete pumper truck was cleaning up the unit after a pour. As the driver-side front outrigger was retracted, the operator (a young worker) became pinned between the extendable portion of the outrigger and the truck's chassis.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis
Core Activity : Acoustic ceiling installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700175
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker stepped backwards on a baker's scaffold and fell to the ground 5 feet below.
Injury Type : Broken shoulder
Core Activity : Paving services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007126770120
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker was shovelling broken pavement from the roadside prior to the roadway being resurfaced. A skid-steer loader working nearby turned sharply and struck the worker.
Injury Type : Electrical burn to arm
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007136960289
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

For a job that required the testing of 15-kV cables, a worker set up a safety perimeter and kept unauthorized persons out of the area. During the testing procedures, the worker encroached the limit of approach. A spark jumped from the cable to his arm, then from his fingers to a door.
Injury Type : Bruising and abrasions to one side of body
Core Activity : Traffic control
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007116110190
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A traffic control person (TCP) had stopped one vehicle. A second vehicle failed to slow down for the work zone and crashed at highway speed into the stopped vehicle, pushing it into the TCP.
Injury Type : Back strain, minor cuts
Core Activity : Exterior painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270179
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A young worker was painting a gable of the upper roof of a three-storey house. He was working from a 7-foot aluminum multi-ladder set up as an extension ladder, with its feet on the lower roof (6/12 slope). The base of the ladder slipped out, and the worker fell 22 feet to the ground. The employer did not have a written fall protection plan for this site, although work was being done at heights of 25 feet or more without guardrails.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Structural concrete formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007114550186
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A tower crane's load line failed while lifting a 9x9 gang form panel. The gang form panel was approximately 9 feet above the 22nd floor slab when the line failed. The panel, load block, and approximately 45 feet of line landed on the slab.
Injury Type : Penetration wound to skull
Core Activity : Siding installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970367
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker on a 3-foot-high ladder sawhorse was nailing a soffit backing plate. As he stepped down from the sawhorse, he attempted to put the nail gun on his belt. His finger was on the trigger of the nail gun, and he unintentionally shot a 2-inch stainless ring nail into the head of a worker below him.
Injury Type : Scratches to leg
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970354
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An excavator was digging in an area supported by a wall of interlocking concrete blocks 5 tiers high. The wall collapsed and the excavator rolled onto its side, trapping the operator in the cab. He was wearing a seat belt and was able to exit the machine on his own.
See a slide show about an incident in which another excavator operator survived a rollover:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/publications/multimedia/slideshows.asp?ReportID=34159
Injury Type : Facial injuries including broken bones
Core Activity : Seismic line cutting
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007124490057
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A seismic faller had made falling cuts into a danger tree. As the tree was about to fall over, the faller looked up and was struck in the face by a chunk that had broken off the top of the tree.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Multi-level townhouse construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157270181
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

As a 20-ton mobile crane was lifting a load (approximately 20 sheets) of oriented strand board (OSB), its lifting cable snapped. The load fell approximately 40 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Overpass construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131783
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A mobile crane was swinging to pick up reinforcing steel when it contacted an energized high-voltage power line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Crane operation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007110750294
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

The boom of a truck-mounted crane was not properly cradled. It hit overhead communications lines, which pulled over at least two power poles. In turn, energized 25-kV power lines came down.
Injury Type : Large abrasion to arm (1 worker); small puncture wound to head (1 worker)
Core Activity : Blasting
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007101920106
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A blast caused substantial fly rock. Two workers sustained minor injuries, and several pieces of mobile equipment were damaged.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Transmission line installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154960225
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

During hoisting operations to place a new transmission tower on the concrete base anchor bolts, the rigging attached to the sky-crane helicopter unexpectedly released. The unsecured tower (120 feet high, weighing 9,600 pounds) fell over and came to rest against the adjacent 138-kV transmission line.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Installing underground utilities
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007116120182
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

An excavator was working close to a utility pole. The projecting pin of its boom cylinder inadvertently caught a guy line attached to the pole. The guy line snapped and landed on top of a 7.2-kV volt primary power line, causing a line fuse to blow and cutting power to the area.
Injury Type : Fractured arm and ribs
Core Activity : Framing or residential forming
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007159480035
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker stepped out onto roof skirting, slipped on a piece of plastic lying on the sheathing, and fell to grade approximately 19 feet below. The worker was wearing a fall protection harness but was not tied off.
Injury Type : Concussion, head laceration
Core Activity : Roofing estimation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158880246
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker accessed a second-floor roof using a fire escape ladder. The ladder was attached to rotting fascia board covered in metal. The fascia board gave way, and the worker fell to the pavement below.
Injury Type : Neck and back injuries
Core Activity : Institutional construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130281
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

As a young worker on a concrete form attempted to cross from one work platform to another, the worker fell approximately 11 feet.
Injury Type : Fractured wrist, cut/abrasion to head
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130277
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker fell 5 feet from a shoring frame while trying to lift a 4x6 timber onto the support saddle.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007138190220
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A major structural fire occurred during repair of the roof of a commercial building.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Site services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007122700169
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A site service contractor dug up a residential natural gas line, breaking the line and causing an evacuation of the area.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Painting exterior of building
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117670268
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker was using a boom truck to paint the outside of a building. The worker had forgotten to deploy the stabilizers, and the boom truck tipped onto its side. The worker rode the bucket down from a height of about 20 feet.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Rigging
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080217
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A tower crane was hoisting a bundle of reinforcing steel bars (rebar) from a flat deck truck. As the bundle was hoisted, one end of it became caught under another load of rebar on the truck. The opposite end of the hoisted rebar bundle swung out over an adjacent roadway and struck a passing motor vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Land clearing or site preparation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007108320063
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

In preparation for road construction, an excavator was clearing out a vine maple. A small branch fell onto an energized overhead power line. No injuries or equipment damage resulted.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Painting exterior of building
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117670268
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul

A worker was using a boom truck to paint the outside of a building. The worker had forgotten to deploy the stabilizers, and the boom truck tipped onto its side. The worker rode the bucket down from a height of about 20 feet.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Operation of truck-mounted crane
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155400448
Date of Incident : 2007-May

An articulating crane mounted on a delivery truck was unloading construction materials when it tipped due to inadequate padding at the bottom of the stabilizer pads. The crane sustained structural damage and the truck also sustained some damage. The unit was then sold to another company with no notification of the damage and without re-certification by an engineer.


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