WorkSafeBC said Monday that it has issued a penalty for a “high-risk and repeated violation” at a Victoria construction site that included not having fall protection in place.
The $43,359.04 fine has been issued to VPAC Construction Group.
“WorkSafeBC observed one of this firm’s workers conducting sheeting work on the 7:12 sloped roof of a residential building, said a WorkSafeBC news release. “No fall protection was in place, exposing the worker to a fall risk of about 6.7 m (22 ft.). The firm failed to ensure fall protection was used, a repeated and high-risk violation.”
In 2022, there were 5,579 time-loss injuries in the manufacturing sector in B.C. and 860 of these were serious injuries, said WorkSafe BC.
The non-use of fall protection is an ongoing issue in the sector and resulted in 5,893 injuries in the past five-years, including 28 fatalities. Additionally, 164 administrative penalties totaling $1,027,997.55 were issued in 2022 to employers for lack of fall protection.
“Additionally, construction workers are most at risk of a fall from elevation if scaffolds or guardrails are not properly installed or if workers do not use fall protection equipment,” said WorkSafe BC.
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