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May 3, 2023
Incident summaries are based on information obtained as soon as possible after the incidents: they are preliminary and subject to change. Details have been edited to protect workers' privacy.
See additional summaries online.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Cable or hi-lead logging |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023161750023 |
As a grapple yarder was being repositioned on a lowbed, the boom and gantry assembly crashed to the ground. None of the nearby workers was injured.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Integrated forest management |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023196670003 |
The roof of a large, six-bay garage collapsed. The garage was being used as a service and repair shop by a log transport firm. It is suspected that the structural failure was caused by excessive buildup of snow and ice. No workers were in the building at the time of the incident.
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Injury Type: Injuries to fingers
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Core Activity: Sawmill |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023154970008 |
A worker was feeding an edger when one hand was caught between a running roller and a sprocket.
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Injury Type: Injuries to fingers (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Metal recycling / Heavy equipment servicing |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023180850006 |
Two workers were replacing pins and bushings on an excavator as part of regular maintenance work. As one of the workers (a young worker) was putting a pin back into place, fingers of one of their hands were caught between the pin and the excavator arm.
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Injury Type: Injuries to finger
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Core Activity: Blind or drapery track manufacture |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023154890001 |
As a worker was using a punch press to punch a hole in a metal headrail for a window blind, one of the worker's fingers was caught in the press.
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Injury Type: Burns
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Core Activity: Pulp and paper mill |
Location: B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023154970007 |
While working near the smelt deck of a recovery boiler, a worker sustained burns from a buildup of hot material.
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Injury Type: Injury to finger (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Baked goods manufacture |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023180850005 |
Two workers were cleaning a dough divider machine as part of regular maintenance activity. While one of them jogged the machine to expose a different part of the machine, the second worker reached in to grab a piece of the dough that was stuck to the machine and one of their fingers was caught by the moving parts of the machine.
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Injury Type: Injuries to fingers
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Core Activity: Wooden post or pole manufacture |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023174590005 |
A worker was operating a cleaner (rail splitter) when one of their hands was caught between the end of a rail being split and the wedge of the hydraulic ram.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Structural concrete forming / Industrial, commercial, institutional or highrise residential contracting or construction |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023178110003 |
While formwork was being stripped on level 17 of a highrise, in preparation for the flytable cycling process, a slab frame (about 2 feet wide and 6 feet long) fell from the building. It struck the ground, and then struck a worker on their hard hat before coming to rest. The worker was not injured.
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Injury Type: Upper body fractures
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Core Activity: Framing or residential forming / Industrial, commercial, institutional or highrise residential contracting or construction |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023165370013 |
On the third floor of a building under construction, two workers were trying to move a pre-constructed wall panel that was lying flat on top of a few other wall panels. A guardrail had been pre-attached to the wall and the workers were using the guardrail to pull the wall panel off the stack of panels when the guardrail let go. The workers fell. Both landed against the third-floor perimeter guardrail at the same time, and it detached. One of the workers continued to fall (about 20 feet) before landing on a wooden fence below.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Structural concrete forming |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023163750003 |
As concrete was being placed at a construction site, a concrete pump truck's boom contacted energized 12 kV power lines. An arc flash and uncontrolled release of electricity occurred. No injuries were reported.
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Injury Type: Contusions
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Core Activity: Concrete pumping |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023182170006 |
A concrete pump truck drove away from a construction site with the outriggers retracted but the boom extended and elevated. The truck became unstable and rolled off the public roadway, coming to rest on its driver's side on a downhill slope of about 45 degrees. The driver was able to self-extricate from the cab.
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Injury Type: Fracture to upper body, laceration
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Core Activity: Electrical work / Industrial, commercial, institutional or highrise residential contracting or construction |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023155070007 |
A worker was using the fly section of an extension ladder. The ladder section slid and the worker fell about 8 feet to a concrete slab.
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Injury Type: Abrasions, soft tissue injuries (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Structural concrete forming |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023203080002 |
A worker was cleaning a column jacket on the top level of a concrete highrise when another worker, who was stripping a core wall panel, removed the designated safety bolt. The panel fell and landed on a coil rod before striking the first worker.
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Injury Type: Injuries to hand
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Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023196490003 |
A worker was using a table saw to cut an insulated concrete form when one of their hands inadvertently contacted the saw blade. The table saw was unguarded at the time of the incident.
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Injury Type: Multiple injuries
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Core Activity: Painting or wallpapering |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023189780002 |
A worker was painting from an extension ladder set on top of a baker's scaffold. The worker fell about 12 feet to the surface below.
See a bulletin about the dangers of baker's scaffolds. |
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Injury Type: Suspected injury to foot (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Traffic control / Local government and related operations |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023171900011 |
A traffic control person (TCP) was struck by a vehicle driven by a non-worker on a low-volume side street. The car had been stopped but moved when the TCP's paddle turned inadvertently (the TCP was not intending to signal the driver to move).
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Injury Type: Injury to finger
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Core Activity: Oil or gas pipeline construction or repair |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023165370012 |
While cleaning a paint spray gun, a worker placed one hand in front of the nozzle. Ejected solvent from the spray gun injured one of their fingers.
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Injury Type: Fractured vertebrae
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Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023181570002 |
A worker was sweeping sawdust on the upper floor of a house under construction. The worker lifted one of two unsecured 4x8 sheets of plywood covering an open stairwell (for a stairway yet to be constructed) to the basement level. The worker fell about 11 feet onto compressed gravel.
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Injury Type: Head injury, fractured wrist
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Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023173670002 |
While doing siding work, a worker fell from a ladder to a concrete driveway (about 15 feet).
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Injury Type: Fractures of upper body
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Core Activity: Siding, awning, or gutter installation, service, or repair |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023155500004 |
A young worker was on a pump-jack scaffolding system installing siding on a new building when they fell about 24 feet to the hard-packed dirt below. The scaffolding did not have guarding or any other form of fall protection installed.
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Injury Type: Fracture, abrasion
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Core Activity: Excavation, or private landfill or transfer station operation |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023167730005 |
A worker was trying to clear a blockage of shotcrete slurry in a pressurized flexible concrete hose. The worker was using a knife to remove a protective abrasion cover to gain access to the hose when they inadvertently cut into the hose. The hose ruptured, spraying the worker with the pressurized slurry.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Industrial, commercial, institutional, or highrise residential contracting or construction |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023182130007 |
An excavator's bucket ruptured a 3-inch natural gas line during civil construction operations. The utility provider was immediately notified and several neighbouring homes and businesses were evacuated.
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Injury Type: Injuries to arm
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Core Activity: Decking application or waterproofing / Oil or gas pipeline construction or repair / Sandblasting of heavy equipment |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023194080010 |
A worker was sandblasting on a pipeline project. The worker tried to reposition around the pipe they were sandblasting when the sandblaster inadvertently turned on, causing a pressurized (140 psi) mixture of air and sand to strike one of the worker's arms.
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Injury Type: Multiple fractures
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Core Activity: Crane operation / Structural concrete reservoir, dam, dyke, or tunnel construction or repair/ Electric utilities |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023178760007 |
An operator (worker) was found lying on the ground next to crane equipment.
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Injury Type: Exposure to carbon monoxide (2 workers)
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Core Activity: Structural concrete reservoir, dam, dyke, or tunnel construction or repair / Electric utilities |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023178760006 |
While operating a mobile grout plant at a construction site, two workers were exposed to carbon monoxide fumes. The employer had enclosed the area of the grout plant due to weather conditions. Numerous gas-powered engines were in the area that was enclosed, and no ventilation was installed when the facility was enclosed.
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Injury Type: Concussion, fracture, laceration (1 worker); Injury to foot (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Excavation operation |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023197940001 |
Along with an excavator, two workers (one a young worker) were helping to place water main piping inside a 4-feet-deep excavation. One of them slipped, fell into the excavation, and had one of their feet pinned between the pipe and the side of the excavation. The second worker entered the excavation to assist the first worker and was struck by the pipe when it inadvertently shifted in the rigging.
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Injury Type: Lacerated arm
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Core Activity: Structural concrete forming |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023198150003 |
A worker was using a circular saw to cut 2x4 wood blocks when the saw bound and kicked back.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Excavation operation |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023178050001 |
During ongoing bulk excavation work, a section of an engineered shotcrete wall (about 60 feet long by 30 feet deep) collapsed. No workers were injured.
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Injury Type: Pain, bruising
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Core Activity: Siding installation |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Feb |
ID Number: 2023166920001 |
As a worker was descending the outside of a metal frame scaffold, the scaffold shifted and the worker fell about 12 feet, landing on a tempered glass railing. The scaffold did not include installed scaffold ladders for access and egress and was not secured to the building.
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TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING
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Injury Type: Injury to foot (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Loading or unloading goods |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023182710014 |
A young worker was adjusting the chain on the door of a container that was depositing grain onto an inclined conveyor. The worker stepped onto the conveyor at the same moment an operator turned it on. One of the worker's feet was caught between the spring roller and the conveyor belt.
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Injury Type: Head injury
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Core Activity: Auto towing / Auto dealership or auto sales |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023167090007 |
A tow truck driver (young worker) was delivering a vehicle to a car dealership. The worker was unloading the vehicle when the spring-loaded bar of the tow truck dolly released and struck the worker.
Read the summary of an investigation into another incident involving a tow truck dolly.
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Injury Type: Laceration
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Core Activity: General trucking |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Feb |
ID Number: 2023189760003 |
A worker was walking from one loading bay to another when one of their legs was struck by a rear tire of a forklift that was turning.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Home improvement centre |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023182710016 |
A person (non-worker) set fire to merchandise in a bay of a store. A customer and workers noticed the fire and activated the fire alarm system. The fire was extinguished by workers before the fire department arrived. No injuries were reported.
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Injury Type: Multiple fractures
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Core Activity: Home improvement centre |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023155270012 |
A worker was using a mobile ladder-stand platform (5 feet high) to remove a bound group of batt insulation bundles from a storage rack when the platform tipped over.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Community recreation centre (municipally run) |
Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023196480010 |
A chlorine gas leak occurred in the chlorine enclosure. The chlorine monitors detected the leak, and the facility was evacuated. The fire department and hazmat team responded. The facility was cleared, and the source of the leak was repaired. No injuries were reported.
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Injury Type: Close call
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Core Activity: Local government and related operations |
Location: Interior B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023194070012 |
A worker was testing a gas-powered pressure washer that had a water-heating unit when the heating unit failed. High-pressure water and steam erupted out of the heating unit. The worker was not injured.
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Injury Type: Fatal (1 person)
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Core Activity: Local government and related operations |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023189800002 |
A person was crossing a public road when they were struck by a wheel loader with a snowblower attachment.
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Injury Type: Injury to leg, laceration (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Outdoor sport tour |
Location: Northern B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023179460013 |
A worker performing ski guide duties on a steep slope was buried when an avalanche occurred. The worker was rescued by others in the group, provided first aid on site, and transported to hospital by helicopter.
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Injury Type: Concussion, fractured leg
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Core Activity: Building or home inspection |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023189760005 |
As a worker descended from a roof using a ladder, the worker fell backward, striking their head on an adjacent railing on the way down.
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Injury Type: Undetermined injuries (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Armature winding for small motors |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Apr |
ID Number: 2023189760004 |
Two workers were moving an electrostatic generator stator on a cart from one area of the workplace to another. The equipment, which was not secured to the cart, fell forward off the cart, pinning one of the workers.
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Injury Type: Exposure to carbon monoxide (1 worker)
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Core Activity: Pressure washing of buildings or parking lots / Plumbing, heating, vent, residential air conditioning installation or repair / Highrise construction |
Location: Lower Mainland |
Date of Incident: 2023-Mar |
ID Number: 2023188220003 |
A gas-powered pressure washer was being used in a parkade. A worker was found collapsed on a different level of the parkade. The worker received first aid and was transported to hospital. The fire department measured carbon monoxide levels of 500 to 600 ppm.
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Injury Type: Multiple fractures, laceration
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Core Activity: Landscaping, lawn or garden maintenance, or weed control |
Location: Interior B.C. |
Date of Incident: 2022-Jun |
ID Number: 2022194070008 |
A worker was operating a riding lawn mower on a sloped portion of residential lawn. The mower became unstable and the worker jumped off the mower, down the slope. The mower went down the slope and landed upside down on the worker, pinning them underneath.
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