Union hopeful about B.C. crane safety talks

With four crane incidents — one fatal — already reported in Metro Vancouver this year, the International Union of Operating Engineers says regulatory changes are needed to ensure worker safety.

The latest incident happened in East Vancouver at a site on Victoria Drive, just south of East Broadway, on Monday, March 4. No injuries were reported but a stop-use order was placed on the crane and a section of the workplace “until a qualified person has confirmed that it is safe for workers to re-enter,” WorkSafe said Tuesday.

That came after a person was killed on another site, after a crane dropped a load on a worker.

The union says these incidents underscore the need for better safety regulations for its workers, who might not all be covered under the current regulations.

“We have seen incidents recently that appear to be related to the operation of a tower crane, and incidents that appear to be related to the erection and dismantling of a tower crane,” said Josh Towsley, the assistant business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115.

“Where we have some regulation on the operating, we have virtually no operation related to the licencing of the contractors or mandatory training of those workers who assemble and disassemble tower cranes and we really need to make that a concerted effort as an industry moving forward.”

He adds having four incidents in such a short amount of time is extremely concerning, adding they show the safety regime around tower cranes is not where it needs to be.

“We have been calling for improved safety for twenty years in this industry, these recent incidents highlight that need and I am hopeful that we are going to be able to improve safety in and around tower cranes and restore public confidence in our industry,” Towsley said.

WorkSafeBC, industry stakeholders come together to talk crane safety

WorkSafeBC notes, just like this latest case, the first two crane incidents of 2024 didn’t result in any injuries. However, the third of the year — at the Oakridge Park development on Feb. 21 — claimed the life of a worker at the construction site.

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WorkSafeBC says it is working to understand the cause of each of the incidents and contributing factors so similar issues can be prevented from happening in the future.

Despite the lack of similarities between the four incidents, WorkSafe says it is bringing industry stakeholders together to talk about crane safety.

The participants include employers, labour groups, and the BC Association for Crane Safety (BC Crane Safety).

Towsley says this is an opportunity for some changes, which he is hopeful will come sooner than later.

“In recent weeks, with conversations with government, WorkSafe, the BC Association for Crane Safety, I’m cautiously optimistic that we can get what we need — the improvements both on training and in regulation that we need,” he said.

“If there’s one thing these recent incidents have shown, it’s that the time to act is now, it’s important that we are efficient in our work and make improvements needed in a timely way.”

WorkSafeBC says findings that could “improve workplace safety will be immediately incorporated” into its initiatives, including inspections and education.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar