KELOWNA – They put their workers at high risk of serious injury or even death. Now they’re paying the price.
WorkSafeBC has imposed stiff fines on several Okanagan companies for health and safety violations.
The Mission Hill Family Estate winery in West Kelowna was penalized $97,500 after a young worker seriously injured an arm while cleaning a conveyor-driven grape sorting table while it was running.
WorkSafeBC says: “The firm failed to ensure that inspections were made of its workplace at intervals that would prevent the development of unsafe working conditions. It failed to give its new and young worker health and safety orientation and training specific to the workplace. These were high-risk and in some cases repeated violations.”
Safety infractions involving excavation work at a reservoir upgrade project in Kelowna resulted in Maple-Reinders Inc. being fined $67,697.93.
The company failed to ensure the work was done according to the written instructions of a qualified, registered professional. It also did not conduct a confined space hazard assessment of the excavation.
“The firm repeatedly failed overall to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision to ensure their own and other workers’ health and safety at the site, ” according to WorkSafeBC.
In a repeated and high-risk violation, Ryder Roofing Ltd. was penalized $93,558.96. because an employee was not using fall protection gear, and no other form of fall protection was in place, while he was working on the roof of a Kelowna house.
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He could have fallen about five metres to the concrete below. The company is appealing the penalty.
In Penticton, H. & M. Excavating Ltd. was fined $37,838.95 after an employee entered a manhole to service a sewer system.
WorkSafeBC says a site inspection showed the air in the manhole had not been tested before the worker entered. “The firm’s failure to ensure that testing took place was a high-risk violation.”
And Interior Health has successfully appealed a fine levied for exposing employees to toxic chemicals at the Vernon hospital laboratory.
After some workers complained of ill health issues, WorkSafeBC determined the lab’s ventilation system needed improvements.
Interior Health didn’t do the required upgrades fast enough and was penalized $75,000.
The fine was rescinded completely.
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