Four Greater Victoria companies were fined more than $27,000 by WorkSafeBC between April and May for fall protection violations — a top cause of serious workplace injuries, the agency says.
From 2020 to 2024, there were over 5,400 injury claims in the construction sector from falls from elevation, including almost 1,900 serious injuries and 35 deaths, according to WorkSafeBC.
Roof Guys Roofing, operated by Dwight Gordon Fengstad, was levied the first fine – $5,000 on April 24. While re-roofing a two-storey house, a WorkSafeBC inspector found a worker on a sloped roof wearing a fall protection harness that was not connected to a lifeline, putting them at risk of an 18-foot fall.
Less than two weeks later, Mike Geric Construction Ltd. was fined $10,516.19 on May 6 after an inspector observed a worker near the edge of a balcony roof cover. No guardrails or other form of fall protection was in place, exposing the worker to a fall risk of about 147 feet.
"The firm also failed to ensure it had a written fall protection plan for work at heights greater than [25 feet] where workers aren't protected by permanent guardrails. These were both repeated violations," noted a release from WorkSafeBC.
According to WorkSafeBC's summary of penalties that go back to 2013, Roof Guys Roofing / Dwight Gordon Fengstad was fined another $5,000 for similar infractions in 2024.
On May 20, RR Roof Rider Ltd. was issued a $9,502.02 fine after WorkSafeBC inspected two residential worksites where the firm was doing re-roofing work. An inspector observed multiple workers on sloped roofs with no fall protection, exposing them to a 14-foot fall. They also failed to provide their workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure safety.
RR Roof Rider Ltd. was handed a $2,500 penalty for similar infractions in 2021.
Finally, on May 27, a $2,500 fine was levied against Right Choice Exterior Ltd. after an inspector saw an unsecured worker near the leading edge of the flat roof of a commercial building, exposing them to a 14-foot fall.
