Most fines issued to construction industry
In 2010, WorkSafeBC imposed 256 penalties, totaling $3,163,898 against employers for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and the Workers Compensation Act.
The 256 penalties issued in 2010 were imposed against 232 individual employers, with penalty amounts ranging from $1,000 to $145,046.98. A total of 12 incidents in which an employer was penalized involved a fatality.
“WorkSafeBC penalizes employers who have not been motivated by other means to comply with their responsibility to ensure their workplaces are healthy and safe,” said Donna Wilson, vice-president of the industry services and sustainability division of WorkSafeBC. “A penalty is not imposed if an employer is found to have taken all reasonable steps to prevent circumstances that involve violations that can lead to serious injury or death.”
Employers from 58 industry classifications received penalties in 2010. Companies in five construction-related classifications accounted for 65 per cent (168) of the penalties imposed.
In recent years WorkSafeBC has increased its inspection and investigation capacity, directing a more intensive focus to the industries that present the highest risk to workers, including construction sites, and to employers where compliance is known to be an issue, such as steep slope roofing and construction.
