Investigation continues one year after fatal Kelowna, B.C. crane collapse

It’s been one year this week since a crane collapsed at a high-rise construction site in Kelowna, B.C., killing five people but the report aimed at determining exactly what went wrong has yet to be completed.

“Over the last year, WorkSafeBC has been working with subject-matter experts and engineers to examine the crane components, sequence of events, and work procedures that took place during the crane dismantling process,” WorkSafeBC said in a statement released Monday.

“WorkSafeBC investigators have also examined all relevant documentation and other evidence, in addition to conducting witness interviews. Incident investigations are in-depth and the amount of time an investigation takes to complete is directly related to its complexity.”

2:34 Grieving Kelowna mother calls for more workplace safety after her son lost his life while working at a construction site

Although WorkSafeBC said its investigation is well advanced, they are unable to provide a specific date for its completion.

At the conclusion of the investigation, an incident investigation report will be prepared and released publicly.

2:34 Grieving Kelowna mother calls for more workplace safety after her son lost his life while working at a construction site

Once the report is done it will not only identify the cause of the incident,  findings will be used to ensure that similar incidents can be prevented from happening in the future.

2:41 New cranes being erected at site of fatal crane collapse in Kelowna

WorkSafeBC will consider additional inspections, consultations and outreach focused on lessons learned from the Kelowna incident investigation.

In the meantime, to mark the collapse that killed brothers Eric and Patrick Stemmer, Jared Zook, Cailen Vilness and Brad Zawislak, the North Okanagan Labour Council is inviting the community at large to an hour of remembrance on Tuesday, July 12.

The memorial ceremony will take place at the intersection of Bernard Avenue and St. Paul Street and begins at 10 a.m. There will be a moment of silence 55 minutes later — the time the accident happened one year earlier.

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The public is asked to gather by 10 a.m., with the event formally getting underway at 10:10 a.m.

Participants are welcome to bring flowers or other tokens and tributes to leave at a temporary memorial display.

Mission Group is also holding a remembrance and will stop work at its construction sites between 10:45 a.m and 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday. It asked others to do the same.

RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are currently conducting parallel, independent investigations.

WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health and Safety Investigations team launched its investigation immediately after the incident in July 2021.

3:40 Remembering one of the victims of the Kelowna crane collapse