Plans to update construction crane safety protocols are welcomed by the mother of a man who died in a 2021 industrial accident, though she said they were a little slow to come around.
“I do believe that there needs to be a lot more,” said Danielle Pritchett, mother of Cailen Vilness, who died in 2021 when the crane he was working on collapsed at a Kelowna, B.C., construction site.
“I know they are making some changes, which is excellent. But at the same time, it is a little on the slow end.”
Education and training are two key themes of the WorkSafe BC report, which addresses safety issues that may have contributed to catastrophic crane collapses in B.C.
The report released Tuesday followed up on a March meeting that gathered 130 industry members to discuss both current conditions and needs for crane workers, of which there are a growing number.
“There are over 400 cranes in operation in different parts of the province,” Suzanna Prpic, director of prevention field services at WorkSafeBC, said.
“It’s imperative that we continue to collaborate to gain perspectives of all of those working on the cranes and working on the job sites where the cranes are located, to ensure that workers can continue safely.”
Crane safety has become a higher-profile issue since 2021, when the crane collapse in Kelowna took the lives of five men, four of whom worked on the structure. The cause of that collapse has never been released. There was also a fatal incident at the Oakridge Park worksite that claimed the life of a worker.
“Each of the incidents that occurred over the past few years has been examined closely,” Prpic said.
“Each situation is a little bit unique so that’s why it’s important that we maintain a strong collaboration and look at the different areas relating to assembly, disassembly and repositioning of the cranes.”
She said that a more detailed focus may include supervision, coordination of work and communication.
“It’s really important that after any incident occurs on a busy job site that all workers across that job site are informed about the outcomes from the investigation so that we can prevent recurrence on any job site where an incident has occurred,” Prpic said.
“It’s not one thing that’s going to make any site safer, but it’s detailed planning … from the very beginning of a project.”
Clinton Connell, the executive director of BC Crane Safety, was one of the people involved in the meeting that resulted in a list of recommendations.
Connell’s organization is in charge of the crane operator certification system for B.C. and the Yukon Territory.
“A lot of what was mentioned in WorkSafe’s update this morning (was) a comprehensive overview looking at training, certification of standards inspection frequency and the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and employers,” Connell said.
He said improved training capacity would be a great start on the changes that need to be implemented, and that should be followed up with more specialized types of training, and then clear definitions of the roles and responsibilities of the various personnel involved in the operations, from site supervision to employers.
In the weeks ahead, WorkSafeBC will be discussing these recommendations with the B.C. Ministry of Labour, SkilledTradesBC and industry stakeholders, including labour, employers and the BC Association for Crane Safety.
Following the 2019 crane collapse in Seattle, WorkSafeBC conducted a systematic review of tower crane incidents through worksite inspections, which led to several new controls (regulations) as well as shifts in WorkSafeBC’s inspectional approach.
This work was revisited in 2021 following the catastrophic crane collapse in Kelowna, which resulted in new tools and resources for industry, and new regulatory initiatives.
This spring, a new Notice of Project-Tower Cranes regulation was approved by WorkSafeBC’s board of directors.
Under the new rules, which take effect in October, every employer responsible for a tower crane activity at a workplace in B.C. must ensure that WorkSafeBC receives a written notice of the project at least two weeks before the crane activity starts.
The NOP will allow WorkSafeBC to know who is qualified to perform the work, as well as when, where and how this work will take place.