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YW Accidents
2004 Incidents Involving Young Workers
A Notice of Accident (NOA) is a preliminary report of an accident that WCB Prevention officers respond to. The NOA is based on information obtained as soon as possible after the accident but before an investigation into causes has been completed.This update contains details from selected "Notice of Accidents" received by the Prevention Division of the WCB involving young workers.
This information may help you prevent similar accidents in your workplace.
THE NOA INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance
Core Activity : Steam cleaning
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2005124490004
Date of Accident : 2004-Dec
A young worker was steaming a portable flare knock-out separator when he was exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance
Core Activity : Steam cleaning
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2005124490004
Date of Accident : 2004-Dec
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker was steaming a portable flare knock-out separator when he was exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance (2 workers)
Core Activity : Pulp and paper production
Location : BC
ID Number : 2004136050126
Date of Accident : 2004-Dec
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
Two workers were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas while adding sulfamic acid to an acid mixing tank contaminated with white liquor. Both workers identified hydrogen sulfide exposure symptoms and climbed off the tank. The young worker collapsed, unconscious; the second worker pulled the collapsed worker out of the building.
Injury Type : Bruised liver, bruised face and elbow (1 young worker); twisted ankle, cuts, and bruises (1 young worker); cuts, scrapes, and bruises (1 worker)
Core Activity : Framing or residential forming
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2004110577
Date of Accident : 2004-Nov
2 young workers (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
The bottom cord of a 74-foot truss broke and carried two workers 28 feet to the ground. A third worker landed on the railing of an extended scissor lift.
Injury Type : Burns to hands and forearms
Core Activity : Fast food concession
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2004125290096
Date of Accident : 2004-Nov
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker attempted to correct a slipping fry basket and was splashed with hot oil in the commercial fryer.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance
Core Activity : Industrial machinery/equipment service and repair
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0471
Date of Accident : 2004-Sep
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker who had been cleaning parts with mineral spirits was found unconscious in the mechanical shop.
Injury Type : Aches and pains
Core Activity : Steel building erection
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0470
Date of Accident : 2004-Sep
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 week's experience at this task
A worker fell approximately 9 feet while transitioning from a ladder to a steel beam.
Injury Type : Abrasions, cuts, and internal damage to one wrist
Core Activity : Baked goods manufacturing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0465
Date of Accident : 2004-Sep
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A bakery worker was caught between the frame of a bread dough dividing machine and the take-away conveyor that moves portioned dough from the machine.
Injury Type : Puncture wound to buttocks area, broken tailbone
Core Activity : Structural concrete forming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0439
Date of Accident : 2004-Sep
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 2 years' experience at this task
A young worker jumped approximately 4 feet from a wall-form under construction and landed on upright rebar.
Injury Type : Crushing, bruising
Core Activity : Plastic or rubber recycling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0436
Date of Accident : 2004-Sep
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1.5 years' experience at this task
A young worker who was standing between two parked trucks was crushed when one of the trucks drove forward into him.
Injury Type : First-degree burns and cuts to head and neck
Core Activity : Welding and fabricating
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 0473
Date of Accident : 2004-Aug
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 year's experience at this task
A welder sustained injuries to one side of his head and neck from an explosion that occurred while he was repairing the hull of a 20-foot aluminum boat.
Injury Type : Amputation of two fingertips
Core Activity : Wood component manufacture
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0442
Date of Accident : 2004-Aug
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker's fingers contacted a running "jump"-type cutoff saw when it activated.
Injury Type : Injuries to hip and back; possible head injury
Core Activity : Retail store
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0430
Date of Accident : 2004-Aug
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A young worker fell while using a 6-foot stepladder to place product on a display elevated 7 feet above the ground.
Injury Type : Friction burn to skin on thumb and three fingers
Core Activity : Printing or typesetting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0427
Date of Accident : 2004-Aug
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A press operator spilled a chemical onto a rotating roller while doing maintenance on an operating press. As the operator tried to clean the roller with a rag, the rag and the operator's hand were pulled in through the roller.
Injury Type : 3rd-degree burns to a third of the body (1 worker); burned fingertips (young worker)
Core Activity : Gas bar
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0394
Date of Accident : 2004-Aug
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A camper van was fuelling up with propane. An explosion and fire erupted, injuring two workers.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Private camp
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2004110557
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A camp counsellor drowned while swimming in the camp pond.
Injury Type : Hypothermia resulting in unconsciousness, frostbitten fingers
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0432
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 year's experience at this task
A young worker was trapped for 3 hours in a walk-in freezer at minus 17 degrees Celsius.
Injury Type : Numerous stitches to knee (young worker); fractured vertebra and bruising injuries to hand, face, side (1 worker)
Core Activity : Rock wall climbing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0362
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
2 years' experience at this task
Staff members of a rock-climbing school were teaching three students on a 25-foot-high face rock wall. One student reached the top of the rock wall below the anchor and grabbed a large rock to "pull up." The rock, which weighed approximately 140 pounds, dislodged and plunged approximately 25 feet, striking a staff member on the helmet. Before coming to rest, the rock struck an adjacent staff member (a young worker) on the leg.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Welding and metal fabrication
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0349
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A worker was found unconscious, lying in the bottom of a truck-mounted fuel vessel.
Injury Type : Head/neck injuries
Core Activity : General trucking, domestic freight forwarding
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0341
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
An operator became pinned beneath a forklift when it tipped over while accessing a weigh scale.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); bruising (young worker)
Core Activity : Land clearing, excavation, or site development
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 0337
Date of Accident : 2004-Jul
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A one-ton truck left the road and rolled over several times. One of two workers in the truck was killed; the other worker was only slightly bruised.
Injury Type : First-degree burns to face, ear, neck, arm, hand
Core Activity : Cabin, cottage, lodge, resort
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0327
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 year's experience at this task
A camp maintenance worker was attempting to light a garbage incinerator using ordinary high-flashpoint gasoline. The worker was unable to light the incinerator on the first attempt and decided to add more gasoline through the upper door of the incinerator. As the fuel was poured in, the fire ignited and back-flashed, inflicting non-life-threatening burn injuries to the worker.
Injury Type : Severed arm
Core Activity : Wooden component manufacture
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0317
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A young worker reached into an operating planer unit. The rotating planer head caught the worker's glove and pulled the hand and forearm through the planer.
Injury Type : Broken hip, leg, and jaw
Core Activity : Logging
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0312
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A worker parked a grapple skidder on a 32% slope, placing the blade down and setting the hand brake, then exited the machine briefly. When the worker climbed back on, the skidder began to move backwards down the slope. The worker dove under the skidder and was injured as the machine continued moving downslope.
Injury Type : Sprained ankle; scrapes and cuts
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0310
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 week's experience at this task
A worker fell while accessing a perimeter scaffold from a low-slope roof. The worker stepped on a vintage 18-inch-wide gutter, which broke away and opened a space between the scaffold deck and the side of the building. The worker then fell 14 feet to a lower roof overhang and an additional 6 feet to a flat roof below.
Injury Type : Partial amputation of a finger
Core Activity : Chemical pulp mill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0306
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A worker was assisting a millwright to change a drive sheave on an exhaust fan. The worker's finger became caught between the drive belt and the sheave. The drive was locked out at the time.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Fire brigade
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 0304
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A firefighter was involved in a fatal traffic accident while responding to an interface fire call.
Injury Type : 1st-degree burns to face (1 young worker); 2nd-degree burns to both arms (1 worker)
Core Activity : Window caulking
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0299
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
Two workers were assembling a swing stage in the back lane approximately 30 feet from the building. As they tensioned the suspension cable, it contacted a 12-kV primary power line.
Injury Type : Cut to forehead requiring stitches
Core Activity : Wine and beer store
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0297
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A young worker was struck while attempting to apprehend a shoplifter.
Injury Type : Loss of two fingers and severe tissue damage to arm
Core Activity : Paving (asphalt) plant
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0296
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker's hand and arm were caught in the in-running nip point of belt conveyor.
Injury Type : Nail puncture of thigh
Core Activity : Vinyl window manufacturing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0278
Date of Accident : 2004-Jun
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 2 months' experience at this task
An air-activated nailer inadvertently discharged, driving a 3-inch nail into a worker's thigh.
Injury Type : Carbon monoxide exposure (2 workers)
Core Activity : Take-out pizza store
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0284
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young workers (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
The exhaust fan switch for the gas oven was inadvertently turned off, exposing two young workers to high levels of carbon monoxide.
Injury Type : Amputated thumb, cut finger
Core Activity : Modular, prefab building manufacturing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0280
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A young worker cut his thumb and index finger while operating a table saw.
Injury Type : Amputated finger
Core Activity : Restaurant/ice cream parlor
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 0279
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 week's experience at this task
A young worker was operating an ice-cream blending machine. The machine's shaft punctured the side of a cup, catching a ring on the worker's hand and severely lacerating the finger.
Injury Type : Broken ankle, cuts, bruising
Core Activity : Entomology research
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0265
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A young worker was operating an all-terrain vehicle in a vineyard when it went over the edge of an embankment and descended about 150 feet down the slope.
Injury Type : Multiple abrasions
Core Activity : Flat roof covering
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0255
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
1 month's experience at this task
A worker removed the cover from a roof vent and fell approximately 30 feet.
Injury Type : Bruised lower back
Core Activity : Window, gutter, or awning cleaning
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0245
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A worker was cleaning gutters and a patio cover working from from the roof of a single-storey residential home. The worker fell 9.5 feet to the ground below.
Injury Type : Crushed arm/shoulder
Core Activity : Recycling depot
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0236
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A young worker was picking waste plastic off of a conveyor line. One of the worker's arms got caught between the conveyor end roller and belt in an area beneath the conveyor table.
Injury Type : Partial amputation of one toe
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0229
Date of Accident : 2004-May
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
A worker was on a residential roof cutting a hole for a roof drain when the skill saw he was operating cut behind the safety toe of his safety boot and partially amputated one toe.
Injury Type : Fractured wrist (young worker); torn shoulder muscle (supervisor)
Core Activity : Recycling
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0206
Date of Accident : 2004-Apr
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A young worker reached between the moving belts of a conveyor and was caught in the tail spool. A supervisor came to the worker's assistance, preventing more serious injury to the worker but sustaining a shoulder injury in the process.
Injury Type : Penetrating wound to hand
Core Activity : Pressure washing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0193
Date of Accident : 2004-Apr
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A worker (lanceman) grabbed the end of a high-pressure water lance that had not yet fully depressurized.
Injury Type : Broken arm requiring surgery
Core Activity : Garbage, debris, industrial waste, or recyclable material removal
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0188
Date of Accident : 2004-Apr
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A swamper fell from a platform on the back of a moving garbage truck and landed on the road.
Injury Type : Various injuries, including open wounds/lacerations of the head or a hand, knee sprains/strains, and ringing in the ear (4 workers, including 1 young worker; 5 non-workers)
Core Activity : College, trade school, or vocational school
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0183
Date of Accident : 2004-Apr
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Worker's experience at this task is unknown
An explosion occurred in a trades learning lab, injuring two instructors, five students, and two security guards.
Injury Type : Loss of vision in one eye
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0189
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 year's experience at this task
A young worker was standing on a step ladder nailing a header with a nailgun. A nail from the nailgun glanced off the header and struck the worker in the eye.
Injury Type : Broken vertebrae
Core Activity : Stone crushing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0164
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 year's experience at this task
A worker backed a dump truck over the edge of a gravel pit stockpile.
Injury Type : Fatal (young worker); dislocated shoulder and second-degree burns to arm on the other side (1 worker)
Core Activity : Firefighting
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0157
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
Two firefighters were rescued from the interior of a burning structure while performing firefighting duties. One firefighter was later pronounced deceased.
Injury Type : Amputation of one finger
Core Activity : Lumber remanufacturing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0128
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A worker's finger was amputated when the chop saw he was operating inadvertently cycled.
Injury Type : Spinal injury
Core Activity : Ski club
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0127
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A ski coach lost control while demonstrating a freestyle jump. He landed face down on the ski slope and sustained severe spinal injuries.
Injury Type : Concussion, fractured jaw, dental injuries
Core Activity : Oil or gas field servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0121
Date of Accident : 2004-Mar
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A worker was struck in the face by a piece of pipe (short snipe) that was released when another worker opened a cynch/boomer used to secure a piece of oilfield equipment.
Injury Type : Broken neck vertebra and pelvis
Core Activity : Oil or gas field servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0089
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 2 years' experience at this task
A pickup truck towing a horse trailer (loaded with piping) lost control, crossed the centre line of the highway, and travelled into the path of a loaded logging truck. The driver of the pickup truck was seriously injured.
Injury Type : Amputation of arm
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 0087
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
1 month's experience at this task
A young worker's arm was caught in the tailspool of a running conveyor.
Injury Type : Fractured wrist
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0077
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A worker was attempting to turn a joist when it slipped off its end support. The worker lost his balance and fell 9 feet from the third to second floor, then rolled down the framed staircase to the first floor.
Injury Type : Internal crushing injuries to abdomen and back
Core Activity : Oil or gas drilling
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0066
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A drilling rig crew were hoisting a section of pipe (surface case 12-inch diameter, approximately 11 metres in length) onto the drilling floor when the end of the pipe became bound against the sliding ramp to the rig floor. The pipe lifted and swung, striking the young worker.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Oil and gas well servicing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0052
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 2 years' experience at this task
Pressurized gas from a natural gas well struck a worker when it released suddenly during well service operations.
Injury Type : Small cut requiring stitches
Core Activity : Woodworking, spindle manufacturing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0045
Date of Accident : 2004-Feb
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1 month's experience at this task
A worker sweeping the floor was hit by an ejected piece of moulding.
Injury Type : Severe hyperextension injury to ankle/foot
Core Activity : Heavy equipment installation, service, and repair
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0065
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
A worker's foot got caught in the tail spool of a conveyor chain on a lumber transfer deck.
Injury Type : Hypothermia, frostbite to fingers and feet (1 worker); cold-related injuries, bruises (1 young worker)
Core Activity : Transit to fishing grounds
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 0036
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young worker (ages 15-24)
More than 2 years' experience at this task
A shrimp trawler capsized in high winds, forcing both crewmembers to abandon ship.
Injury Type : Symptoms associated with decompression sickness
Core Activity : Dive instruction and training
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 0027
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1.5 years' experience at this task
A recreational dive instructor experienced symptoms consistent with decompression sickness following a rapid assent from a dive of 100 feet.
Injury Type : Burns to hands, bruised muscles and tendons, bruised heart, irregular heart beat, vertigo (1 young worker); bruised muscles and tendons, bruised heart (1 young worker); sprained ankle (1 worker)
Core Activity : Power-washing buildings
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0026
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young workers (2) (ages 15-24)
Experience at this task: Less than 1 month and less than 6 months
Three workers were power-washing a building from a vehicle-mounted aerial device (bucket truck). An adjacent high-voltage conductor was contacted and two of the workers were seriously injured.
Injury Type : Fatal (young worker); cuts and bruises (1 worker)
Core Activity : Land clearing, excavation, or site development
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 0023
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 6 months' experience at this task
Two workers were travelling in a one-ton pickup truck. The truck went out of control, crossed the centre line, and collided head on with a loaded tractor-trailer towing a quad trailer. One worker in the pickup was killed and the other was injured. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
Injury Type : Possible exposure to carbon monoxide (15)
Core Activity : Fish processing or fish reduction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 0014
Date of Accident : 2004-Jan
Young worker (ages 15-24)
Less than 1.5 years' experience at this task
Fifteen workers - including at least one young worker - reported symptoms of dizziness, nausea, headache, and tightness in the chest while working in a fish processing plant.
Other YW Incidents
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