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YW Accidents
2008 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 : Back injury
Core Activity : House construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2009155070015
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
A young worker fell from a job-built wooden scaffold to grade (about 15 feet).
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Pipeline testing
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008153370276
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
Two workers had just completed a hydrostatic test (to 2150 psi) on two 16-inch temporary pig traps (used in cleaning pipelines). One of the workers (a young worker) closed a ball valve to isolate the piping being tested from the recording device and the pressure gauge. The worker then bled off the pressure in the hydrostatic testing connection and in the lines to the recording equipment and gauge. The lines to the recording equipment and gauge were removed, and the worker then began to remove the testing connection from the valve using a pipe wrench. But instead of the testing connection unthreading from the valve, the valve unthreaded from the pipe nipple that connected the valve and connections to the pig traps (which were still pressurized to 2150 psi). The pressure drove the test piping and valve up, and they struck the worker. The injured worker was taken to hospital but died several days later.
Injury Type : Injuries to foot
Core Activity : Planing mill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008126770196
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
A young worker followed written safe work procedures to clear a jam in a waste conveyor. He then exited the conveyor in a way that was not safe, through an area where a sawdust conveyor was in operation. As the worker stepped over the sawdust conveyor, the carrier chain caught his foot and pulled it around the head spool. A co-worker immediately turned off the power to the carrier chain and extricated the injured worker.
Injury Type : Fractured leg, laceration
Core Activity : Fish processing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008139860271
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
A forklift was moving frozen fish product on a pallet. A packet weighing about 200 pounds (90 kilograms) fell off the pallet and struck a young worker.
Injury Type : Puncture wound to hand
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008154970553
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
A young worker was using a pneumatic nailer to apply asphalt shingles when a 1.25-inch nail was discharged into his hand.
See a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Fractured and bruised fingers
Core Activity : Galvanizing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008147280272
Date of Incident : 2008-Dec
Two workers were using two hoists and chain slings to handle a load of galvanized steel guardrails weighing 3091 kilograms. One of the workers (a young worker) was manipulating a sling by hand when the load shifted, catching his hand between the sling and the load.
Injury Type : Serious foot injuries
Core Activity : Recreational facility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008110750635
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
As a worker opened a sauna door to check on a patron, the door's heavy glass window fell out and landed on the worker's foot.
Injury Type : Serious injury to finger
Core Activity : Bricklaying
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157270383
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A young worker was steadying a wheelbarrow as a skid-steer front-end loader placed gravel in it. The wheelbarrow collapsed to the ground, crushing the worker's hand.
Injury Type : Serious foot injuries
Core Activity : Low-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008110750578
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A young worker was installing an anchor 16 feet from the edge of a roof with a pitch of 4/12. There was frost on the 2x6 tongue-and-groove decking. The worker lost his footing and slid down the roof on his belly, then fell to the pavement 16 feet below. The worker was wearing a harness but was not tied off.
Injury Type : Bullet wounds (1 worker, 1 non-worker)
Core Activity : Gas station with convenience store
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008156580343
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A gas station was robbed at gunpoint. A young worker and one non-worker were shot.
Injury Type : Undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Exterior finishing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008154970515
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A young worker on a third-storey scaffold lost his balance. He fell 5 feet through a window opening into the building, striking his head on the concrete floor. The scaffold was not adequately guarded, and no other fall protection system was being used.
Injury Type : Exposure to anhydrous ammonia (3 workers)
Core Activity : Food processing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008108440168
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
An evaporator cooling unit failed in the freezer of a food processing plant, causing the release of anhydrous ammonia gas. Sixty workers were evacuated from the plant and three of them (including one young worker) experienced respiratory distress.
Injury Type : Exposure to a hazardous substance or atmosphere
Core Activity : Restoration work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008125290362
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A broken water main caused mud, sand, and water to breach and lift part of the concrete foundation of a 2-storey residential complex. During restoration activities, a worker went into the crawl space to scoop mud into garbage bags so it could be removed. As the worker exited the crawl space into the home above and then headed outside, he experienced headache, dizziness, disorientation, and difficulty breathing. No hazard assessment had been conducted for the confined space.
Injury Type : Fractures, lacerations
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008161480229
Date of Incident : 2008-Nov
A young worker was rolling out and stapling tar paper on a wet roof with a slope of 11:12. He fell to the ground (27 feet). No fall protection system was in place.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008156240267
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
A young worker was on the fourth step of a 6-foot aluminum stepladder when the ladder's frame collapsed. The worker fell to the concrete floor. The ladder, designed for light commercial use only, was not suitable for the workplace.
Injury Type : Exposure to diesel exhaust, including carbon monoxide (5 workers)
Core Activity : Building material supply and delivery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008111770138
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
Workers in a warehouse experienced light-headedness, blurred vision, bad headache, and nausea. A delivery truck outfitted with a crane was idling inside the warehouse while building materials were offloaded. Its diesel exhaust affected five workers, including three young workers.
Injury Type : Serious burns
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008140710699
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
Hot oil had recently been drained from a restaurant's deep fryer into buckets. The buckets were sitting on the floor. A young worker inadvertently knocked one over, then slipped and fell into the hot oil.
Injury Type : Lacerations, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Road paving
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008155980294
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
An 18-ton rubber-mount asphalt roller was rolling new pavement when its braking and steering mechanisms failed. The machine veered off the low side of the road and rolled about 100 feet down an embankment, landing in a creek and injuring the operator (a young worker).
Injury Type : Burns
Core Activity : Daycare facility
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008110750474
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
A boiling kettle fell onto a young worker cleaning in a meal preparation area.
Injury Type : Violence in the workplace
Core Activity : Travel services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008113830223
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
A young worker was held at gunpoint during a robbery in a shopping mall.
Injury Type : Head lacerations, possible concussion
Core Activity : Concrete formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158880444
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
A young worker was standing on a ladder, nailing a brace to a column form. The worker lost his footing and fell to the concrete slab below (about 12 feet).
Injury Type : Knee injuries
Core Activity : Residential wiring
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157270338
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
As a young worker stepped off a 6-foot stepladder onto a wet floor, he slipped and fell.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Well servicing
Location : Northeast BC
ID Number : 2008124490129
Date of Incident : 2008-Oct
A young worker collapsed and died while doing gas well completion work. The worker had also collapsed several days earlier.
Injury Type : Head injury
Core Activity : Warehouse operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008145570150
Date of Incident : 2008-Sep
A young worker new to the job was using an order picker to move stock from an upper portion of pallet racking. The worker fell from the work platform to the concrete floor 12 feet below.
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Sprinkler system installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008110750421
Date of Incident : 2008-Sep
Workers were stripping forms from a third-floor suspended slab when they lost control of a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood. The sheet bounced off a perimeter fence and into an opening on the first floor of the building. It struck a young worker on a stepladder at ground level.
Injury Type : Serious injuries to hand
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008155980236
Date of Incident : 2008-Sep
A young worker was using an impact hammer to pound a 6-foot grounding rod into the ground when his hand was seriously injured.
Injury Type : Undetermined
Core Activity : Fish farming
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008157490228
Date of Incident : 2008-Sep
A 1000-kilogram bag of fish food fell from a pallet and struck a young worker.
Injury Type : Loss of consciousness; undetermined injuries
Core Activity : Wood product manufacture
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008111110439
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was found unresponsive in a veneer chip conveyor. The worker was caught between a load-carrying roller and a conveyor belt.
Injury Type : Back injury, bruising
Core Activity : Framing and forming
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008129920190
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker fell 10.75 feet while helping to place a 17-foot-long exterior wall on the second floor of a building under construction.
Injury Type : Fractures, lacerations, contusions
Core Activity : Oil or gas pipeline construction or repair
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008156240203
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
The operator of a side-boom tracked crawler parked the machine and exited the cab. The machine began to roll forward. The operator (a young worker) tried to climb back onto the machine but fell on the track and was pulled between the track and the side-boom mounting structure.
Injury Type : Headache, nausea, abrasion, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Bridge construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157560264
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
The boom of a manlift had been extended into the danger zone of some rigging when a ground-level, horizontal-to-vertical pulley attachment failed. The 2.5-ton load caused a tensioned winch cable to straighten and hook the underside of the manlift. A young worker in the lift was thrown out. The worker's fall protection equipment saved him from a 25-foot fall to the concrete below.
Injury Type : Broken foot
Core Activity : Metal deck installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008114550176
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker fell about 12.75 feet from a metal deck mezzanine that he was helping to install.
Injury Type : Burn to hand
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008144250166
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was using towels to remove the grease catch screens from above a restaurant grill. The worker dropped one of the screens and sustained a burn.
Injury Type : Head laceration
Core Activity : Power washing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008145130299
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker fell 9.5 feet off a deck he was power washing.
Injury Type : Amputated fingertip
Core Activity : Fish farm maintenance work
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008137160143
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was doing maintenance work on a fish farm when one finger was caught between a roller (capstan) and a rope.
Injury Type : Undetermined leg injuries
Core Activity : Drainage pipe placement
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008155730219
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A piece of drainage pipe was being placed on a hill. A backhoe was supporting the pipe in position (about 8 inches off the ground) for welding by a worker on the ground (a young worker). The backhoe operator was exiting the cab when he inadvertently contacted the controls, causing the pipe to shift and strike the worker's legs.
Injury Type : Leg injuries, internal injuries
Core Activity : Glass shop
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008128220115
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was opening a crate of 28 glass sheets (each about 11 x 5 feet) when the contents of the crate tipped. The worker fell backwards and was trapped under the full load of glass (about 4,000 pounds).
Injury Type : Lacerated leg
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008163640030
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was placing floor joists when he fell about 8 feet to the floor below.
Injury Type : Abdominal injuries
Core Activity : Siding installation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008138190193
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A worker was struck by a nail from a pneumatic nail gun.
See a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Fracture and laceration to lower arm
Core Activity : Concrete reinforcing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008161950254
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
Workers were preparing a third-floor suspended slab to receive concrete. As they removed excess steel reinforcing bars, two of the bars (10.5 metres long, 15 mm diameter) were thrown down towards the ground level. One struck and injured a worker.
Injury Type : Injury to knee
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008112850174
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was 6 feet up a ladder, having just passed a bundle of asphalt shingles to a worker on the roof. The worker on the roof lost control of the bundle, which then slid down the roof and struck the ladder. The worker on the ladder was knocked off and landed on the deck below.
Injury Type : Crushing injuries
Core Activity : Railcar loading
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008124490105
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker started to open the sliding door to a railcar about to be loaded with pulp products. The door fell off the support brackets and to the ground, landing on top of the worker.
See a hazard alert based on this incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/publications/posters.asp?reportID=35327
Injury Type : Fractured fingers
Core Activity : Building supply
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008154970383
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A forklift was lowering a load of pressure-treated pine decking (estimated weight of about 3,500 pounds) when the load shifted. The forklift flipped onto its side, and the operator (a young worker) was thrown from the machine.
Injury Type : Soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Plumbing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008116120201
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was on an extension ladder when its feet kicked out and he fell to the ground (about 10 feet).
Injury Type : Fractured bones in legs
Core Activity : Residential construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970337
Date of Incident : 2008-Aug
A young worker was 15 feet up an unsecured extension ladder. When the base of the ladder shifted on the tiled floor, the worker rode the ladder partway down, then jumped to the floor.
Injury Type : Fractured arm
Core Activity : Window installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008116120234
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
On a new building, two workers were installing a window above a lower roof edge. One worker was on the roof, the other (a young worker) in the bucket of a powered elevating platform positioned at the roof's edge and below the window provisionally placed in the framing. The worker on the roof removed the temporary metal clips (dutchies) holding the window in place to size flashing for installation around the window. The worker then went to cut the flashing without replacing the dutchies. The window tipped out of the framing and landed on the outstretched arm of the worker in the lift bucket.
Injury Type : Exposure to solvent vapours
Core Activity : Light equipment, machinery or parts wholesale
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008124120187
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was overcome by solvent fumes while cleaning the inside of a waste oil tank with an aerosol can of automotive brake and parts cleaner.
Injury Type : Severed artery
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970327
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was trying to cut a zap strap with a knife. The knife cut the strap, then slipped and severed an artery. The worker survived due to the quick action of the first aid attendant.
Injury Type : Bruising, foot injury
Core Activity : Sailing instruction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158880340
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
Workers were launching boats from a wharf into the water. A young worker was bent down near the edge of the wharf. The worker stood up and bumped a boat that had just been positioned for launching. As a result, the worker fell from the edge of the wharf and landed on a vessel about 15 feet below.
Injury Type : Injuries to back, leg
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008034450271
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was lowering tools from a third-level sundeck by slowly feeding a line attached to the tools. As he leaned over a temporary railing, it gave away and he fell 22 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Lacerated hand
Core Activity : Backfilling a trench
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008163050040
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A skid-steer front-end loader was being used to backfill a trench. As the loader drove over some soft material, it sunk down, then flipped forward, injuring the operator (a young worker).
Injury Type : Penetration wound to leg
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970340
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was holding a nail gun with his finger on its trigger. As he climbed onto a sawhorse, a nail discharged into his leg.
See a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Multiple broken bones
Core Activity : Residential re-roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157270253
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was accessing a steep roof from a ladder. He stepped onto some loose material and fell backwards, landing on pavement about 20 feet below. No fall protection system was in place.
Read about an incident in which another young worker died in a similar fall:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/AccidentInvestigations/IR-Construction.asp?ReportID=34151
Injury Type : Scratches, bruising
Core Activity : Farm market
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008120030192
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A forklift tipped onto its side when it was backed over an embankment by an untrained young worker.
See a video about a young worker who broke his back while operating a forklift:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?reportid=34939
Injury Type : Multiple fractures of arm and leg
Core Activity : Tree services
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157450115
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
During tree cutting, a large piece of wood fell 50 feet and struck a ground worker (a young worker).
Injury Type : Crush injury to finger
Core Activity : Multi-level commercial/residential construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157270241
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was grooving a 6-inch steel pipe when one finger got caught in the rollers.
Injury Type : Exposure to H2S gas (4 workers)
Core Activity : Oil refining
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008122700130
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
Excess product from a fluid catalytic cracking feed was being dumped into a 150,000-gallon slop tank. The pressure-relief valve blew, damaging the seal on the floating roof and exposing four workers, including one young worker, to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas.
Injury Type : Bruises to upper body
Core Activity : Log home construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008131490176
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was standing on floor joists on the first level of a log home under construction. As he guided a log post that was being landed on that level, he lost his balance and fell to grade (about 9 feet, 8 inches).
Injury Type : Broken bones, internal injuries
Core Activity : Masonry construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157560195
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker fell 18 feet when he stepped on an unsupported scaffold plank. He had just adjusted the plank in preparation for raising a mast-climbing work platform past the braces anchoring the scaffold to the face of the building.
Injury Type : Bruising
Core Activity : Wood preserving
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157600131
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker planted a peevee near the end of a 75-foot-long log pole that was laid across two skid logs in order to rotate it. A second worker was ready to block the pole to prevent it from rolling too far. The first worker pulled on the peevee handle. The peevee came loose and the worker fell backwards.
Injury Type : Deep leg laceration
Core Activity : Warehouse
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008147280145
Date of Incident : 2008-Jul
A young worker was doing a pre-shift inspection of an electric stand-up counterbalanced lift truck. He was checking the dead-man brake control when the lift truck collided with a steel staircase. The brake control was not functioning properly.
Injury Type : Fractured vertebrae, cracked ribs
Core Activity : Cable yarding
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008160530184
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A hooktender (a young worker) was struck in the back by a 50-foot dry cedar log (17 inches in diameter) that caught on a stump and swung. The worker, who was standing 40 feet from the log, was bunted through the air for about 50 feet and landed in logging debris.
Injury Type : Fractured facial bones
Core Activity : Residential framing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008160530161
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
During framing, a young worker fell 15 feet. He landed on his feet, then fell forward and struck the ground with his head. No fall protection system was being used.
Read about an incident in which a young worker died in a fall of just 18.5 feet:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/AccidentInvestigations/IR-Construction.asp?ReportID=34151
Injury Type : Crush injury to leg
Core Activity : Fertilizer mixing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158910116
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A young worker was on the upper steel framework at the back of a concrete mixing truck feeding light pebble material from a raised pallet into the feed hopper of the rotating mixing drum. His foot got caught in the feed mixing drum, and he was found with his leg wedged between the feed hopper and the mixing drum.
Injury Type : Neck and head contusions
Core Activity : Exterior window installation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008137290195
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A young worker was installing windows on the ground floor of a building when he was struck by one of four scaffold work platforms that fell from 8 and 15 feet above him.
Injury Type : Exposure to unknown air contaminants (5 workers)
Core Activity : Recreation facility
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008137102534
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
Air contaminants at a recreation facility caused five workers - including two young workers - to feel nauseated and dizzy, and to have difficulty breathing. The building was evacuated and emergency personnel attended.
Injury Type : Multiple fractures, internal injuries
Core Activity : Plumbing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008114550137
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A young worker fell through an opening in a metal Q-deck roof. The worker landed on the concrete slab about 26 feet below. No fall protection system was being used.
See a hazard alert about an incident in which another young worker was seriously injured when he fell through a roof opening:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34669
Injury Type : Smoke inhalation and minor injuries (8 workers)
Core Activity : Plumbing, heating, ventilation, or air conditioning repair
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008159220026
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
During plant renovations, fire broke out as a large industrial dehumidifier was being welded. Workers managed to contain the fire, but areas near the dehumidifier were damaged by smoke and water. Eight workers, including 3 young workers, were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries; 180 workers were evacuated.
Injury Type : Crushed leg
Core Activity : Drilling geothermal pipe
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008155730155
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
An on-site excavator was hoisting a grout plant that needed to be relocated, using chains supplied by the drilling crew. While the excavator was stationary, the workers began to manoeuvre the load. The chains at one end failed, causing the grout plant to hit the ground and pin a young worker.
Injury Type : Crush injuries to foot
Core Activity : Produce storage
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008125400168
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
In a warehouse, a forklift bumped into a powered pallet jack. As a result, the pallet jack pinned a young worker's foot against storage racking.
Injury Type : Exposure to chlorine gas (2 workers)
Core Activity : Recreation facility
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008090880093
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
As a nut on a chlorine supply line was being tightened, the line disconnected from the cylinder, releasing chlorine gas. Two workers, including one young worker, were in the area at the time.
Injury Type : Exposure to a noxious substance
Core Activity : Correctional facility
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008090580279
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
About half an hour after drinking a cup of coffee, a young worker felt dizzy and his arms felt numb. The investigation found that inmates had placed a noxious substance in the worker's coffee.
Injury Type : Arm contusion
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008155980120
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A supervisor physically assaulted a worker.
Injury Type : Injuries to arm, leg, face
Core Activity : Re-roofing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008155400194
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A new and young worker fell about 13 feet to the ground when he slipped off a roof in the rain. The worker had not been given any fall protection training or orientation.
Sections 3.22 to 3.25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation deal with training and orientation of new (and young) workers. A guideline to help implement them is available at:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/ GuidelinePart3.asp#SectionNumber:G3.23
Read a hazard alert about an incident in which a worker died when he slipped off a roof:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=35034
Injury Type : Facial laceration, contusions
Core Activity : Tire servicing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008105910112
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
A young worker had repaired a damaged inside tire from the trailer of a dump truck. The worker placed the tire on the rim, then began to mount the outside tire on the rim. As the worker began to bolt the outside tire in place, the bead of the inside tire crept over the wheel, releasing air and forcing the unsecured outside tire off the rim. See a slide show about accidents in which workers were killed or injured while servicing tires: http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/SlideShows.asp?ReportID=34001
Injury Type : Fractured arm (1 worker); bruises (1 worker)
Core Activity : Travelling from remote worksite
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008159010119
Date of Incident : 2008-Jun
Two workers were returning home from a remote worksite in a pickup truck when it was side-swiped by a vehicle that lost control while trying to pass. The passing lane was blocked by a third vehicle waiting to turn left at an intersection. The worker driving the pickup (a young worker) sustained arm injuries; the worker in the passenger seat was bruised.
Injury Type : Injuries to one hand, abrasions
Core Activity : Painting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008155730111
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was on a work platform, preparing to paint an entry canopy. The worker stepped back and fell from the unguarded edge of the platform. He struck the landscape retaining wall about 9 feet below, then fell another 4 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Internal injuries, bruises
Core Activity : Berry farming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008117930074
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was pinned against the bucket of an excavator by a dump truck that was backing up. The "knuckle" of the bucket stopped the backward progression of the dump truck, preventing further injury to the worker.
Injury Type : Penetration wound to leg
Core Activity : Wooden truss construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008160530152
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was walking with a nail gun in hand and one finger on the trigger. The nail gun discharged a 1.5-inch nail into his leg.
Read a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Laceration, soft-tissue injuries
Core Activity : Mobile crane operation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157270190
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was hooking a beam to a mobile crane. He had attached one strap to the crane and was trying to attach the other strap when the beam lifted, causing the worker to fall about 8 feet.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Dairy farming
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008159220009
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was using a skid-steer loader to push manure into an open manure pit. The loader was later found overturned and submerged in the pit, with the worker in the cab.
Injury Type : Concussion, abrasions, lacerations
Core Activity : Traffic control
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008143950155
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A traffic control person (a young worker) was struck by a motor vehicle. The vehicle had already obeyed the order to stop when it was struck from behind by a vehicle that had not noticed the road construction signs.
Injury Type : Amputated finger
Core Activity : Wood trimming
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158910081
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was trimming wood waste material. The worker's finger contacted the energized blade of a bench-mounted mitre saw.
Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Painting
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008118870340
Date of Incident : 2008-May
A young worker was on an unsecured ladder, painting. When the ladder inadvertently shifted, the worker fell to grade (about 15 feet).
Injury Type : Multiple fractures
Core Activity : Installing weather stripping
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008112850126
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was inside an apartment, installing weather stripping on its main door. When the worker closed the door, it became stuck and could not be opened. The worker exited the suite by climbing from the balcony down to the balcony of the suite below. The worker lost his grip and fell to the concrete patio below (about 25 feet).
Injury Type : Skull fracture, ear injury
Core Activity : Food processing plant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008152480117
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
An ATV was descending from a loading dock when it slid sideways off a ramp, injuring the operator (a young worker).
Injury Type : Shoulder injury
Core Activity : Forming and framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008124710185
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was stripping off concrete formwork. As he stepped over a footing, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Injury Type : Deep laceration to leg
Core Activity : Building formwork
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008161950121
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was cutting plywood using a hand-held electric circular saw. As the worker prepared to make a cut, the rotating saw blade contacted his leg.
Injury Type : Concussion, fractured arms
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970162
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was carrying a full sheet of 7/16-inch plywood across a steep cedar shake roof in windy conditions. The roof was about 40 feet long. The worker stepped on a 2x4, which broke free. The worker fell 38 feet to the cement sidewalk. The plywood fell from the roof and struck the worker's head. The worker had not received specific training and was not tied off to his lifeline.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008147050122
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was removing old shingles from the roof edge of a 3-storey apartment building. He slipped and fell to the ground (about 25 feet).
Injury Type : Fractured arm bones, head abrasion
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970153
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker on a residential 8:12 pitch roof was re-connecting to his lifeline when he stepped on the lifeline and fell 18-20 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Injuries to chest, back, and leg
Core Activity : Roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008156240083
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A roofer (a young worker) was coming down from a roof on an extension ladder. He reached to one side to trim a shingle with a utility knife, lost his balance, and fell approximately 22 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Cuts and bruises to leg (1 worker); back strain (1 worker)
Core Activity : Appliance delivery
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008115520068
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
Two workers were hauling a stacked washer/dryer unit down a set of stairs when they lost control of the unit. It struck and pinned the worker on the lower stair. The worker on the upper stair (a young worker) was injured trying to lift the unit off the lower worker.
Injury Type : Fractured ankle
Core Activity : Retail service
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008155700083
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A new/young worker was transporting a 1,000-pound load using a manually operated pallet jack. He was walking it backwards down a loading ramp with a slope of 9 percent when the pallet jack accelerated and struck him.
Injury Type : Back injury
Core Activity : Framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008156730166
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
Two workers were standing on the top plate of an exterior wall, installing fascia board on a new, detached garage. One of them (a young worker) fell 8.5 feet to grade, landing partly on a stack of 6 sheets of plywood and partly on gravel.
Injury Type : Crushing injuries to leg
Core Activity : Recycling
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008108440044
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
A young worker was trying to clear a jam in a horizontal baler (compactor) when his leg got caught.
Injury Type : Collapsed lung
Core Activity : Plumbing, heating, and ventilation installation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008122700054
Date of Incident : 2008-Apr
Two workers were on a work platform on a construction site when one of the workers (a young worker) bumped into the second worker, knocking him off balance. The second worker swung his arm to stop himself from falling, and the nail gun he was using discharged into the young worker.
See a bulletin about preventing injuries from nail guns:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Posters.asp?ReportID=34835
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Heavy equipment parts installation
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008154850049
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A trash compactor plate on a garbage truck had become stuck. Two workers tried unsuccessfully to free it. After one worker left the area, the other worker (a young worker) noticed that the compactor plate had come free and was starting to fall. The young worker tried to get clear, but was struck by the falling plate, which weighed about 1,000 pounds.
Injury Type : Multiple broken bones, head contusion
Core Activity : Installing exterior fibre insulation
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008161290044
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A young worker on a scaffold fell about 27 feet (8 metres) to the concrete slab below, striking two scaffold planks about halfway down. The scaffold had both guardrails and mid-rails.
Injury Type : Burns (2 workers)
Core Activity : Restaurant
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008157570084
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
Two young workers were burned when one of them tripped while carrying an open container of hot oil.
Injury Type : Amputated fingertip
Core Activity : Auto service and repair
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008147230034
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
Three workers were manually lowering a car transmission unit weighing approximately 100 pounds from a stand to floor level. One of the workers (a young worker) had his hand under the unit and it was pinned against the concrete floor. The oil pan had been removed from the unit, leaving a sharp edge that injured the worker's finger.
Injury Type : Head and back pain
Core Activity : Mixing soil for composting
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008147230030
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A front-end loader had emptied its bucket on a dump pile. It was backing away with the bucket still elevated when one front wheel went over the edge of unbermed roadway. The loader rolled over, injuring the operator (a young worker).
Injury Type : Crushing injuries
Core Activity : Oilfield trucking
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008153370075
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
An oilfield bed truck was towing a service rig pumper truck up a steep section of petroleum development road in slippery winter road conditions. However, the bed truck itself lost traction, and a young worker went to unhook the winch line connecting the two trucks. While the worker was between the trucks, the bed truck slid backwards, pinning the worker between the back of the bed truck and the front of the pumper truck.
Injury Type : Burns
Core Activity : Oil or gas production
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008144250097
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A young worker was trying to light the pilot light of a propane furnace in a trailer recently delivered to the oil and gas well drilling site. The building exploded with the worker inside the building.
Injury Type : Chemical burns
Core Activity : Brewery
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008146890204
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A young worker was removing the circulating apparatus from a fermentation tank that had been rinsed with a caustic solution. The caustic agent had been mixed with hot water to a concentration of about 2 percent. Some of the solution splashed onto the worker, causing burns.
Injury Type : Facial injuries
Core Activity : Dryland sort
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008136960111
Date of Incident : 2008-Mar
A can of paint exploded in a debris fire. A young worker sustained facial injuries.
Injury Type : Bruised hand
Core Activity : Moulding manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970159
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was trying to remove a moisture meter from a board that was entering a 4-sided planer. The worker's hand was drawn into the feed rollers.
Injury Type : Fractured and lacerated arm
Core Activity : Recycling depot
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008110750045
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was instructed to use a 55-ton power press to bend a "grouser bar" to fit a worn track pad for a tracked front-end loader. The bar broke and was ejected, hitting the worker. The safeguards were not in place on the press and the manufacturer's instructions were not being followed.
Injury Type : Bruised hand
Core Activity : Moulding manufacture
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970159
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was trying to remove a moisture meter from a board that was entering a 4-sided planer. The worker's hand was drawn into the feed rollers.
Injury Type : Crush injuries to foot and ankle
Core Activity : Warehouse operation
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008157410040
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A new and young worker was operating a stand-up counter-balanced lift truck in a warehouse. As the lift truck backed up, one of the worker's feet was pinned between the lift truck's platform and a steel pillar.
Injury Type : Hand abrasion, heart palpitations
Core Activity : Cleaning and maintenance of aircraft
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008146170024
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was vacuuming inside a docked float plane. As he exited the aircraft, he lost his footing and fell into the water still holding the vacuum cleaner, which was plugged into the main electrical socket on the dock. The socket was not equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
Injury Type : Facial laceration
Core Activity : Land clearing and excavation
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970131
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was using a 20-pound cut-off saw to cut a 6-inch sewer pipe. As the cut was almost complete, the pipe broke and pinched the blade. The saw kicked back and the blade lacerated the young worker's face.
Injury Type : Lacerations, bleeding from ears
Core Activity : Wood frame construction
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008159110027
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A young worker was installing the trim board on the joist ends of a sundeck 4 metres (13 feet) above grade. The worker was wearing a fall arrest harness with a 3-foot shock-absorbing lanyard attached to a rope grab on an anchored lifeline. The worker fell over the edge of the sundeck and hit the ground. The investigation determined that the rope grab was not properly positioned, allowing the worker to hit the ground.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Real estate sales
Location : Vancouver Island
ID Number : 2008120030036
Date of Incident : 2008-Feb
A real estate agent (an independent operator) was killed at a property that was for sale. Police are investigating the killing of this young worker.
Injury Type : Bruising to back, ribs
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970053
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was on a ladder, installing tar paper on a wall. The ladder slipped out and the worker fell about 8 feet to the ground.
See a list of online resources for preventing falls in construction:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Portals/Construction/Top3AccidentTypes-Falls.asp
Injury Type : Head laceration, upper body bruising
Core Activity : Window installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158880051
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was steadying 2,000 pounds of glass panels as they were unloaded onto a glass cart. The panels fell towards the worker, pinning him against scaffold frames and a wall.
Injury Type : Fatal
Core Activity : Bridge work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008115132041
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A mobile crane was lowering a load from a bridge deck to the platform below when it partially fell off the bridge deck. The operator (a young worker) sustained fatal crushing injuries.
See a hazard alert poster about this incident:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/posters.asp?ReportID=35174
Injury Type : Amputation of 3 fingers
Core Activity : Carpentry shop
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008137290026
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was cutting a sheet of laminate on a table saw when the blade contacted one hand. The saw did not have adequate safeguarding.
See a slide show about safeguarding for woodworking equipment:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/publications/multimedia/slideshows.asp?ReportID=34503
Injury Type : Amputated hand
Core Activity : Sawmill
Location : BC
ID Number : 2008131490034
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was working in the area underneath the lumber stacker. His hand got caught in the in-running nip point of a transfer chain and sprocket that were not de-energized.
Injury Type : Burns to back, arm
Core Activity : Handling hot oil in restaurant
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008110210009
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was using a ladle to transfer hot oil from a pail to the oil filtering system. After some of the oil had been removed, the worker lifted the pail up to dump the remaining oil. The worker slipped and fell, sustaining burns from the oil.
View a shocking re-creation of a similar incident, produced by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&hl=en&v=QmnxMBNDwws
Injury Type : Broken foot
Core Activity : Residential wood framing
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008155270025
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker slipped on a frosty roof and slid to the unguarded roof edge. He then fell 20 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Bruised ribs
Core Activity : Window installation
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008157560020
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
During window installation, two workers were in a swing-stage scaffold platform manually cranking the hand winches to descend the building. One end of the platform unhooked from the supporting winch come-along and dropped about 15 feet before landing on a sidewalk protection canopy. One worker was caught by his fall protection equipment. The other, a young worker who was adjusting his lifeline rope grab at the time of the incident, could not let go of the release mechanism to allow it to engage. His fall was not broken by his safety equipment; he landed on the sidewalk protection canopy.
Injury Type : Fractured foot
Core Activity : Steep-slope roofing
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970037
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker fell approximately 17 feet from a 7:12 pitch roof to ground level. While the injured worker was being transported for medical care, a second worker fell approximately 10 feet to ground level from the same building. The second worker was not injured.
Injury Type : Fractured leg
Core Activity : Construction
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970034
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker was on a ladder, stripping a gang form. As the worker released the last wire holding the form, the form sprang loose, knocking the worker from the ladder. The worker fell approximately 8 feet to the ground.
Injury Type : Electric shock
Core Activity : Highrise construction
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008158880024
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A tower crane was being used to dump a garbage box into a bin. The crane contacted a 7.5-kV transformer. A young worker who was in the bin rigging the load sustained an electric shock.
Injury Type : Electric shock, minor burn
Core Activity : Electrical work
Location : Lower Mainland
ID Number : 2008122700009
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A young worker inadvertently contacted a live 277-volt junction box that had faulty wiring.
Injury Type : Broken ribs, collapsed lung
Core Activity : Ski hill
Location : Central Interior
ID Number : 2008107970022
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A ski lift operator (a young worker) got caught between a ski lift chair rounding the bullwheel and a railing.
Injury Type : Crushing injuries to lower abdomen
Core Activity : Replacing tires on loader
Location : Northern BC
ID Number : 2008159010018
Date of Incident : 2008-Jan
A tire serviceman (a young worker) was replacing tires on a 35,000-pound wheel loader when it fell off the jacks. The worker was pinned between the counterweight and the ground.
Other YW Incidents
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