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YW Accidents
2007 Incidents Involving Young Workers
A Notice of Incident (NI) report is a preliminary report of an incident that WorkSafeBC officers respond to. The NI report is based on information obtained as soon as possible after the incident but before an investigation into causes has been completed.
This information may help you prevent similar accidents in your workplace.
THE NI INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
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 : 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 : 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 : Crushing injuries to upper body
Core Activity : Operation of a motorized pallet jack
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007140330097
Date of Incident : 2007-Dec
A young worker was operating a motorized pallet jack when he was caught between the lower horizontal member of storage racking and the carriage of the pallet jack.
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 : 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 : Lacerations and abrasions to 3 fingers
Core Activity : Finger-jointed lumber manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007131490338
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker was adjusting the photoelectric eye at the infeed area of a finger-jointing machine. The machine was not locked out, and one hand got caught between the V-belt and pulley(s) on the infeed roll drive unit.
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 : Fractured arm
Core Activity : Pulling low-voltage wire
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155730650
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker was on a landing 3 feet by 5 feet, pulling low-voltage wire, when he fell to the level below (approximately 10 feet).
Injury Type : Compound fractures of the leg
Core Activity : Tree service
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007138190357
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker's leg was pulled into the infeed rollers of a wood chipper.
Injury Type : Lacerated finger
Core Activity : Meat cutting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157450160
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker's finger was lacerated by the band saw he was using to cut meat.
Injury Type : Severe concussion (1 worker); neck and back strain, bruising (1 young worker); back strain (1 worker)
Core Activity : Mineral exploration
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007034450401
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A crew transport vehicle with five workers, including one young worker, went out of control and collided with an empty log truck. The loose equipment in the cargo area of the transport vehicle slid forward, injuring workers in the rear seat. The worker in the front passenger seat struck the windshield. Only one of the five workers was wearing a seatbelt.
Injury Type : Fractured bones and deep abrasions to hand and arm
Core Activity : Process maintenance in plywood mill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930434
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker was trying to clear a process blockage on a veneer line when his arm was caught by the dryer infeed rolls.
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 : 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 : Amputation of two fingers
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007140970388
Date of Incident : 2007-Nov
A young worker was clearing ice/snow/debris from an infeed roll on an edger when the in-running roll caught the worker's glove.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007114050309
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct
A young worker was pinned between the moving structural framework of the lefthand arbor assembly (centreline) and a metal column of the canter structural framework.
Injury Type : Exposure to mercury vapour (9 workers)
Core Activity : Science lab at school
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007158820157
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct
A large mercury thermometer broke, releasing mercury in a prep room between two science labs. Although two-thirds of the mercury column stayed in the thermometer, approximately 300-400 grams of mercury spilled out. Nine workers, including one young worker, are believed to have been exposed to mercury vapours over three days.
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 : Broken bone in face, lacerations
Core Activity : Machine shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007128220158
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct
A young worker was pressure-testing a combustion component of a helicopter in a test block. He had pressurized the component (head) to 150 psi when the securing bolts failed and the component blew off.
Injury Type : Sore jaw
Core Activity : Gas bar
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007113830252
Date of Incident : 2007-Oct
A person had been yelling and throwing things in the store of a gas bar. As he exited the store, a young worker followed him to lock the door quickly (the magnetic door was slow to close). The person re-opened the door and punched the worker in the face.
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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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 : Fatal
Core Activity : Commercial diving
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 2007157490200
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep
A young worker was working as a diver at a fish farm although he was not certified as an occupational diver. He was removing dead fish from the bottom of a floating fish pen at a depth of 100 feet. The worker was discovered unconscious by a rescue diver and could not be revived.
See a bulletin about the requirements for diving operations at a workplace:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34784
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 : Infection from toxic spine contact
Core Activity : Tuna trolling
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157490222
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep
A young worker on a fishing boat received an infection in his hands from toxic spine contact. He was airlifted for medical treatment.
Injury Type : Amputation of 1 finger, extensive injuries to another finger
Core Activity : Wooden component manufacture
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007108490173
Date of Incident : 2007-Sep
As a young worker attempted to clear an obstruction on a conveyor belt, his hand became caught in an in-running nip point.
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 : 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 : Bruising to head, chest
Core Activity : Pressed board manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007131490237
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was using an air wand to clean debris from the rooftop of a railway car. He tripped over the air supply hose and fell 14 feet to grade. The worker was wearing a fall protection harness but was not connected to the fall protection system.
Injury Type : Amputation of leg
Core Activity : Crab trap fishing
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 2007139050024
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
As a fishing vessel was being secured to the wharf, a line through a fairlead became tight. The line caught and amputated the leg of a crew member (a young worker), who then fell into the water. Another crew member rescued the injured worker.
See a hazard alert poster based on this incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34992
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 : 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 : Severe chemical burns to upper body
Core Activity : General trucking
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007130260161
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was off-loading a bulk delivery of sulfuric acid. The worker was badly burned when acid was accidentally released at the connection between the tanker hose and the inlet pipe of the bulk storage tank.
Injury Type : Fractured tailbone
Core Activity : Waterproofing of concrete
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007156580260
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was preparing a suspended slab for installation of weatherproofing. The worker moved a pallet, causing a 4x4 sheet of plywood underneath the pallet to shift. As the plywood shifted, the worker fell through a hole in the deck and landed on the concrete floor 15 feet below.
See a hazard alert about about a similar incident in which a worker was seriously injured:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34669
Injury Type : Amputated finger
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007157380124
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was assisting another worker to clear a jam-up on an automated strapper at the planer. The worker was climbing onto the machine to assist when he inadvertently placed his finger in an unidentified pinch point. As the machine cycled, the worker's finger was pinched between a roller and a metal brace. The young worker was not aware of the workings of this machine, and the other worker thought he was clear of any hazards.
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 : 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 : Crushing injuries to upper body
Core Activity : Door and window manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007105910226
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
Two young workers were loading and stacking approximately 2,000 pounds of windows in the back of a truck trailer in preparation for transport. The unsecured load suddenly shifted and fell onto one of the workers.
See a hazard alert about an unsecured load crushing a worker:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=34722
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to neck and back, abrasions
Core Activity : Ceramic tile wholesale
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007070890068
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker used a lift truck to place a pallet of ceramic tiles on the third tier of a steel storage rack system. As he returned with a second skid of tiles, he heard sounds that alerted him to a failing horizontal beam connection in the rack system. The worker jumped from the lift truck as the tiles fell. He was struck mostly by tiles deflected by the protective canopy of the lift truck.
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 : Burn to upper body, soft-tissue damage to back
Core Activity : Sheet metal installation and welding
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007154890093
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was welding stainless steel inside a boiler (a confined space) when he sustained an electric shock. The method of welding was tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, which involves a constant-current welding power supply and requires that insulation be placed on the ground where the welding is done. In this incident, no insulation had been placed on the floor.
Injury Type : Amputation of parts of two fingers
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007147280212
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was preparing to start up a gang rip saw. He had started the ribbed outfeed landing roll and was checking the saw outfeed before starting the saw. His gloved hand contacted the rotating landing roll and was drawn into a narrow gap between the roll and a sloped steel plate on the downstream side of the roll. The hazardous point of operation was not adequately safeguarded.
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 : Amputation of two fingertips
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007157440156
Date of Incident : 2007-Aug
A young worker was stationed in front of a transfer chain, taking away boards cut from cants by the horizontal band tailer. As the worker reached for a waste board, his gloved hand became caught in a chain sprocket.
Injury Type : Fractured ribs, abrasions to arms
Core Activity : Auto recycling
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970399
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
A rough-terrain lift truck was removing a vehicle that had been positioned on two sets of concrete blocks to remove fluids from the engine. The vehicle slipped from the extended forks of the lift truck, pinning a young worker against some tires.
Injury Type : Violence in the workplace (2 workers)
Core Activity : Corner store
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007150180125
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
Two young workers were on duty in a store when a person wearing a mask entered. The person demanded money while holding a knife to the throat of one of the workers.
Injury Type : Concussion, contusions to head
Core Activity : Warehouse
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970385
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
A young worker was transferring a 400-pound packaged door from a material basket attached to a lift truck into a delivery truck. Another packaged door, which was adjacent and not stored properly, fell and struck the worker's head.
Injury Type : Laceration to neck and leg
Core Activity : Woodworking
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970382
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
A young worker was using an air grinder (rated for 22,000 rpm) with a 4-inch zip blade (rated for 19,100 rpm) to remove excess metal material. The blade disintegrated and shrapnel struck the worker.
See a hazard alert poster about a similar incident where a worker died:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=33277
Injury Type : Electrical shock
Core Activity : Glass window installation or replacement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007117080235
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
Workers on a portable powered swing stage reported that they were receiving electrical shocks. The swing stage supplier advised the workers to unplug the electrical power cord and use the emergency descent device to lower the swing stage to the ground. When the supplier's representative arrived at the site, the power cord was reinstalled in the hoisting motors so that the suspension cables could be removed from the climbing hoist. As the hoist controls were being operated to remove the cable, one of the workers was pulling on the remaining steel suspension cables. This young worker was holding onto the metal stirrup for support and sustained a severe electrical shock.
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 : Facial fractures
Core Activity : Forklift operation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007117670247
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
At a gravelled storage yard, a young worker was attempting to use one forklift to pull free a second forklift, using a 14-foot-long, 3/8-inch hooked chain. The hook on the stuck forklift slipped from the hitch pin hole and struck the worker on the head.
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 : 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 : Electrical exit burn on leg (1 young worker); stiffness/soreness on one side of the body (1 worker)
Core Activity : Concrete supply / pump truck operations
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154960231
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
A concrete pumper truck was preparing to pour the last section of pad footings. The driver (a young worker) was on the pumper truck using a remote control. As the discharge hose was being placed, the boom contacted a 14-kV overhead power line. The worker guiding the end of the discharge hose and the driver both sustained electrical injuries.
Injury Type : Close call
Core Activity : Vehicle propane/gasoline service
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007159480040
Date of Incident : 2007-Jul
A young worker was about to fill the propane tank of a commercial steam-cleaning vehicle. As filling began, the propane ignited, causing an explosion.
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 : 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 : Exposure to asbestos-containing materials (8 workers)
Core Activity : Fire alarm upgrade
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007130680113
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
During electrical work for a fire alarm upgrade, holes were cut into a textured ceiling that contained friable asbestos. No precautions were taken to prevent workers being exposed to asbestos. Five workers with the alarm company (including one young worker) and three school district employees were exposed.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Security services
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007119700166
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker who had been conducting security patrol activities on a construction site could not be located by the next worker coming on duty. The worker's body was later located in a body of water near the construction site.
Injury Type : Broken neck (1 worker); neck and back injuries (1 young worker); multiple fractures of arm (1 young worker); chest contusion (1 young worker)
Core Activity : Travelling between service calls
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007136050084
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A vehicle with four workers left the highway and crashed, ending up in the ditch.
Injury Type : Amputated fingertip
Core Activity : Log home construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007131490177
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker was operating a jointing machine to edge process a long board. As the worker was manually feeding the board through the machine, the worker lost control of the board. As the worker attempted to regain control of the board, the worker's fingertip contacted the machine's cutting head.
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 : Laceration and soft-tissue damage to leg
Core Activity : Landscaping
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560296
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A skid-steer loader was parked in a driveway. The parking brake failed and the loader rolled down the driveway, pinning a young worker against another parked vehicle. The worker was wearing hearing protection and did not hear the machine approaching.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, paraplegia
Core Activity : Exterior house painting
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157560292
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker was painting the exterior of a residence, working from a ladder. The worker fell approximately 15 feet from the ladder to the sidewalk below.
Injury Type : Electrical shock, burns
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007157560285
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A roofer (a young worker) sustained an electric shock when he backed into residential service wires feeding a single-family residence. The wires began to smoke and spark, and some flames erupted. The utility company is investigating the cause.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); back strain (1 worker); bruising (1 worker)
Core Activity : Stone or marble product manufacture
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007156580204
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker was assisting in a forklift operation when the forklift toppled over and crushed him. The forklift operator and another worker sustained minor injuries.
Injury Type : Crush and contusion injuries to knees
Core Activity : Drilling and grouting
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007115131751
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker was moving an air track (crawler drill) between a mobile grout pump and a mobile air compressor. There was only a foot of space between the air track and the grout pump. The air track spun the worker around against the fender of the grout pump. The controls normally return to the neutral position when released, but this time they did not. As a result, the air track made a hard right turn and came to rest against the excavation wall.
Injury Type : Back contusions
Core Activity : Installation of steel studs
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007145130242
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
A young worker fell approximately 13 feet through a tarp covering a foundation wall that was awaiting damp-proofing and backfilling.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis and legs; back injury
Core Activity : Steel staircase installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007113830146
Date of Incident : 2007-Jun
As steel staircase weighing more than 1,300 pounds was being installed, the lifting cross member failed. The staircase fell onto a young worker.
Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Amusement park operation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007113830174
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker was assaulted by a supervisor.
Injury Type : Crush injury to leg bone
Core Activity : Supermarket
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007158750037
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker was standing beside the operator's position of a ride-on motorized pallet jack during his training session. When the worker grabbed and turned the throttle, the pallet jack moved toward him. His leg was trapped between the pallet jack and an 8x8 wooden bumper.
Injury Type : Amputated foot
Core Activity : Shake or shingle mill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007137290147
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker's foot was amputated when it contacted a running headsaw of a shake/shingle saw.
Injury Type : Contusion to the head
Core Activity : Tree services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129730563
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A worker walked beneath a tree being pruned and was struck on the head by a falling branch.
Injury Type : Non-Injury
Core Activity : Excavation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007104270119
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker was using a pneumatic chipping hammer to remove encased concrete from around an underground high-voltage duct bank. The chipping blade broke through the 4-inch ABS pipe and penetrated the protective covering of at least one of three 7.2-kV energized conductors in the pipe.
Injury Type : Multiple fractures, punctured lung, burns
Core Activity : Chemical pulp and paper mill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007137290132
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker was caught in a nip point between a rotating pulp roll and a drive spool during the pulp roll removal procedure.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Rock quarry
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007152480150
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A rock truck operator was outside the cab when the truck started to roll downhill. The operator hung on to the runaway truck as it travelled 190 feet down a road at a quarry site. When the truck hit a rock pile, it flipped over onto its side, crushing the operator.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebra, finger
Core Activity : Concrete reinforcing
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007117080155
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A young worker was working on a cage of reinforcing steel using a work positioning fall protection system. His work positioning hook was reportedly anchored to an open-ended horizontal bar. The main hook had a broken spring on the safety latch, rendering the hook and latch ineffective. The worker fell approximately 6-8 feet to grade, landing on his back.
Injury Type : Deep bruising; pain in upper body
Core Activity : Floor covering distribution
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007147280121
Date of Incident : 2007-May
A worker was on a work platform consisting of MDF (medium density fibreboard) panels positioned on steel storage racking. A panel dislodged from the racking, and the worker fell 10 feet to grade, landing on rolls of underlay and the concrete floor. The MDF panels did not meet safety standards for a work platform, and no guardrails or other fall protection system was provided.
Injury Type : Fractured wrist
Core Activity : House demolition
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970238
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A young worker was standing on a piece of plywood that he believed was nailed to the top of a ladder that went to the lower level. The plywood gave way, and he fell more than 10 feet to the lower level.
Injury Type : Fractured leg bones
Core Activity : Landscaping
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154970208
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A young worker's leg was pinned between a 3-foot rock wall and a garden shed when the rock wall collapsed.
Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Deck construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155260065
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A zoom-boom rough-terrain forklift was offloading a laminated veneer beam weighing approximately 150 pounds onto a scaffold. One end of the beam was placed on the scaffold deck while the other end was being supported and lowered by a young worker on the deck. The worker suddenly dropped the end of the beam from waist height. The beam dropped onto the cross-support for the scaffold and the horizontal member snapped, causing the scaffold deck to drop. The worker slid off the deck and rode 2x10s to the ground approximately 32 feet. The worker was wearing a fall protection harness but was not connected to his lifeline. The employer had not provided adequate training and supervision and did not have a written fall protection plan as required.
Injury Type : Concussion
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007143950080
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A worker was on the second level of a building removing a 2x4 approximately 12 feet long attached to the exterior of a window opening. The board fell and struck the head of a young worker below. The horizontal 2x4 and two upright 2x4s were part of a guardrail system that had been used on the second level.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries (7 workers)
Core Activity : Fixed-wing VFR operation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007158930067
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A fixed-wing aircraft crashed on take-off. The pilot and 6 forestry workers (including one young worker) on board suffered minor injuries.
Injury Type : Serious burns
Core Activity : Bulk storage and distillation of waste products
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007158910042
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A worker was using a hand-held grinder fitted with a cut-off wheel to cut a hole into the top of a steel tank. The tank, which was approximately 16 feet high, contained liquid waste glycol (anti-freeze) product. As he was on top of the tank cutting into the metal, an explosion occurred, followed by fire. Forced off the tank, the worker grabbed the ladder on an adjacent tank and slipped to grade.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injury to lower arm
Core Activity : Constructing a landscape retaining wall
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007116120081
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A mini-excavator was assisting in the construction of a retaining wall. As the operator (a young worker) swung the excavator bucket in one direction, the retaining wall gave way. The excavator tipped over, landing on the roof of its two-post protective structure. Fortunately, the retaining wall was only 2 feet high at this location and the knuckle of the boom helped to support the upside-down excavator so that the operator escaped with minor injuries.
Injury Type : Fractured skull
Core Activity : Forklift repair and sales
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007154960120
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A hydraulic floor jack was used to raise one side of a forklift to gain access to motor brackets requiring repair. While a worker's head was under it, the forklift suddenly lowered. The forklift had not been secured against inadvertent movement before the worker began maintenance work. The worker had not been adequately trained and supervised in working under an elevated load.
Injury Type : Crush injury and laceration to hand
Core Activity : Sheet metal fabrication
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007105910096
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
A young worker was feeding a piece of sheet metal into a 3-foot power roller machine. One of the worker's hands supported the metal being fed. As he directed the metal, his hand slid into the rollers. As he tried to free his hand, his clothing caught in the rollers and he was pulled forward and trapped in a position from which he could not reach either the lever to stop the rollers or the emergency stop button to de-energize the machine.
Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Hot asphalt roofing
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157560151
Date of Incident : 2007-Apr
On a roofing project, two ladder sections side by side and a tarp were used as a makeshift chute for debris. The assembly reached from the deck of a scaffold up 10 feet to a flat roof. A large refuse bin was placed in front of the scaffold/chute assembly. A young worker was instructed to climb one of the ladders and slide 4x8 plywood sheets up the rails to the upper level. He lost his balance while trying to free a corner of the plywood that became caught. He fell from the ladder onto the scaffold, then into the refuse bin, falling 6-7 feet.
Injury Type : Fatal (1 worker); internal injuries (1 worker); injury to lower arm (1 worker)
Core Activity : Oilfield driving
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007144250139
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A 5-ton flatbed truck driven by a young worker was travelling on a highway behind another truck with a wide load during a snowstorm. As the flatbed truck attempted to pass the truck with the wide load, it struck two oncoming pickup trucks. The first pickup sustained a partial impact and landed in the ditch, injuring the driver, a young worker. The flatbed truck hit the second pickup head-on, killing the pickup driver. The flatbed driver sustained minor injuries.
Injury Type : Serious head injuries
Core Activity : Driving industrial ambulance
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007137160098
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A loaded logging truck tried to pass an industrial ambulance that was stalled on the highway. The truck contacted the back fender of the ambulance and both vehicles ended up in the ditch. The ambulance driver (a young worker) sustained serious head injuries.
Injury Type : Fractured foot bones
Core Activity : Heating, plumbing, ventilation installation and repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129730513
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A young worker was installing gas lines on the second-storey roof of a building. It was raining and the cedar shakes were slippery. The worker slipped and fell approximately 20 feet to grade. The employer had not provided any fall protection.
Injury Type : Amputation of fingertip
Core Activity : Security or patrol services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129730504
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A security guard was checking the mechanism of an electric door opener when the motor started. The worker's finger was caught in the nip point of the sprocket and the chain.
Injury Type : Fractured spine and hip
Core Activity : Installing structural steel
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007115131639
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A fabricated structural steel beam (weighing 1,700 pounds) fell and hit a worker while it was being repositioned.
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Picking up supplies for construction site
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007101920047
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
As a worker was standing behind his one-ton truck, the vehicle started to roll backwards down a slight incline and struck him.
Injury Type : Injuries to foot, arm, back
Core Activity : Land clearing and excavation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007107970178
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A young worker was accessing a concrete meter well approximately 11 feet deep. At the 4-foot level, the ledge was covered by an insulation board. The worker jumped into the well thinking the insulation board was a floor and broke through it. He fell a further 7 feet to the floor below, narrowly missing the water valves.
Injury Type : Serious leg injury
Core Activity : Warehouse/Delivery
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007154960096
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
The operator of a motorized pallet jack was riding the unit after placing a pallet. As the equipment backed away, the worker's leg contacted material resting on a conveyor roller bed. The edge of the material seriously injured the leg.
Injury Type : Amputation of hand
Core Activity : Wooden component manufacture
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007131490090
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A young worker was operating a multiple trim saw. While the infeed lug transfer chains were still moving, he reached into the equipment to clear a board that was jammed. The worker's hand got caught on a lug on a moving transfer chain and was pulled through a rotating trim saw.
Injury Type : Amputation of part of one foot
Core Activity : Ice making
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007137160099
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A young worker's foot slipped into a hole beside an ice auger at a fish processing plant. The ice auger's guard was faulty and the worker's foot was caught in the auger.
Injury Type : Fatal (3 workers); injuries ranging from severe internal injuries to soft-tissue injuries (14 workers, including 6 young workers)
Core Activity : Farm labour supply
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007137101997
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A vehicle transporting farm workers on a highway was involved in a motor vehicle accident. The vehicle came to rest upside down, straddling the concrete highway divider. Seventeen workers, including 6 young workers, were in the van.
Injury Type : Broken hip, arm
Core Activity : Q-deck installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007128230050
Date of Incident : 2007-Mar
A Q-deck installer (a young worker) picked up a sheet of plywood that was covering an opening in the Q-decking on the roof of a building. As he picked up the plywood, he stepped forward and fell through the opening to the concrete slab below (28.5 feet).
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Construction of commercial building
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007037470111
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A work platform dislodged from a zoom boom forklift and fell approximately 8 feet to the ground. The young worker in the work platform escaped without serious injury.
Injury Type : Exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S)
Core Activity : Oil and gas instrument maintenance and repair
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007153370097
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker was at a natural gas metering station to check the orifice plate for the meter. When he opened the vent valve to depressurize the meter, hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) was released into the building containing the metering equipment. When the worker realized that gas was being released, he closed the valve and tried to exit the building but was overcome by H2S and collapsed. Another worker, who witnessed the incident, pulled the first worker out of the building. The first worker then regained consciousness.
Injury Type : Fractured arm and leg
Core Activity : Well servicing operations
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007144250069
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker prepared to flow an oil/gas well with a jet pump. The worker heard hissing from the casing side of the wellhead (the non-production side). As he moved closer to investigate the leak, a bull plug (valve) blew out, striking the worker's leg. The force of the impact caused the worker to fall on icy ground, fracturing his arm. An investigation found that there was no significant thread damage to the plug or flange. It appears that the valve was not screwed on tightly enough and it worked itself loose and blew out.
Injury Type : Head and arm lacerations
Core Activity : Stevedoring
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007129730457
Date of Incident : 2006-Feb
A super forklift tipped forward while unloading a loaded overseas container. The forklift operator (a young worker) was thrown through the windshield head first and landed 20 feet below between the tilted forklift masts.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Trawl fishing
Location : Northwest BC
ID Number : 2007157490045
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker was hooking up a trawl door when the door shifted, crushing the worker between the door and the main stern roller.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Greenhouse glass repair and maintenance
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007144570017
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A worker was accessing a greenhouse gutter system at a height of approximately 14 feet using an aluminum ladder. When the ladder started to fall backwards, away from the gutter, the worker jumped approximately 11 feet from the ladder to a waterlogged grassy area below.
Injury Type : Shattered vertebra, nerve damage
Core Activity : Snowboard park
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007108490063
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A snowboarding instructor (a young worker) was testing some jumps. With too much speed, he overshot the landing area, resulting in a fall with very hard impact.
Read about another young worker who over-shot the landing hill during a test jump:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/YoungWorker/ Resources-Speakers.asp#Josh
Injury Type : Lacerations and bruising
Core Activity : Call centre
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007157580040
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A worker's family member came to the workplace and was denied access to the worker. The family member smashed through glass doors, entered the workplace, and injured a security guard (a young worker) before being restrained by several employees until the police arrived.
Injury Type : Fractured pelvis
Core Activity : Installation of corrugated steel subfloor panels
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007155270073
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker was distributing sections of corrugated metal Q-deck on a steel-frame building under construction. The worker was wearing personal fall protection and was attached to a retractable steel cable lanyard. The worker lost his balance and fell off the bundle of stacked decking panels. He tried to stop his descent by grabbing an adjacent beam but lost his grip. As he swung further downwards, the lanyard cable broke at a previously damaged section and the worker fell to the ground 30 feet below.
Injury Type : Sprains and strains
Core Activity : Wood framing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007137290064
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker was installing internal truss bracing while standing on the bottom chords of the trusses. The worker fell through the 24-inch space between the trusses. He sustained minor injuries when he struck the trusses, but his personal fall protection system prevented a fall to the ground.
Injury Type : Back injury, laceration
Core Activity : Greenhouse
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007101100017
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A maintenance worker (a young worker) was crushed against a wooden pallet when a portable powered potting machine fell on him as he adjusted the height of its legs. The machine was top-heavy and had not been restrained, and the worker was not adequately trained or supervised.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries to arm
Core Activity : Plywood plant
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007107270015
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
During clean-up, a young worker's clothing became caught in an empty keyway slot on an idler drum shaft of a conveyor.
Injury Type : Temporary loss of consciousness
Core Activity : Flare knockout vessel maintenance
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2007154930062
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
During vessel cleaning and maintenance work at an oil and gas site, a young worker was knocked down by exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas.
Injury Type : Head injuries, fractured bones, internal injuries
Core Activity : Rebar installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131577
Date of Incident : 2007-Feb
A young worker was carrying rebar across some decking on a second-floor slab. He stepped onto a piece of plywood that was partially covering a hole in the Q-deck but was not secured. The plywood became dislodged and the worker fell through the hole to grade, approximately 20 feet below.
Injury Type : Fractured bone in face
Core Activity : Cable logging
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2007111810028
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
A chokerman (a young worker) on a cable logging operation had not cleared the turn when he gave the go-ahead signal. He was struck by a log that upended.
Injury Type : Leg abrasion
Core Activity : Exterior stucco application
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007154960028
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
A young worker operating a remote-controlled hoist was standing at the base of an exterior building scaffold. Buckets of stucco mix were being unloaded from the hoisting cage on the 7th floor. When the cage was turned to unload the final two buckets, the cage released from the hoist line and fell to the ground. The buckets came out of the cage and one bucket of stucco mix glanced off the worker's leg.
Injury Type : Temporary loss of consciousness
Core Activity : Retail store
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007156680017
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
A young worker walking towards a garbage dumpster bent down to pick up some garbage from the ground. As the worker stood up, the worker's head struck the edge of the open lid of the dumpster box.
Injury Type : Puncture wound to leg
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007120030013
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
A young worker was installing porch decking using a pneumatic nail gun. In the squat position, he lowered the nail gun with the trigger squeezed. The work contact element of the nail gun inadvertently touched the worker's leg and a 3-inch nail was discharged into it.
Injury Type : Punctured skull
Core Activity : Security alarm installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2007105210006
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
A worker was standing on a sawhorse operating a nail gun. As he lowered his arm with the nail gun's trigger mechanism still active, a young worker passed by and underneath him. The nail gun discharged, hitting the young worker in the head.
Injury Type : Minor contusion to head
Core Activity : Gas bar
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2007049800561
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
The propane tank (20-pound size) on a truck exploded shortly after being refilled. The young worker who was refilling the tank struck his head when startled by the initial ignition of propane vapours.
Injury Type : Head laceration, neck strain
Core Activity : Scaffolding rental
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2007115131519
Date of Incident : 2007-Jan
As a scaffold was being moved to another location, a scaffold deck fell approximately 10 feet to the ground, striking a young worker nearby.
Other YW Incidents
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