New crane safety rules coming to B.C. soon, says labour minister

When Chris Vilness heard about thecraneaccident that killed a construction worker in Vancouver last week, he was angry, and he didn't have to imagine what the woman's family was going through.

In 2021, his son Cailen was among five men killed when acranebeing dismantled collapsed in Kelowna, B.C.

"That's so unfair for that family to have to go through something a lot similar to what we did," he said in an interview.

"It's terrible, it's not something you can even explain, and once you have got the call or you have read the text, there is no turning back."

WATCH | B.C. man recalls son killed in crane incident:

Father of Kelowna crane collapse victim remembers son as a hard worker

3 years ago

Duration 1:40

Chris Vilness says his son Cailen was a 'really good kid.'

The deadly Vancouver accident, where a load fell from acraneonto the worker below at the massive Oakridge redevelopment site last Wednesday, was one of three high-profile crane incidents in Metro Vancouver in just over a month.

Theaccidents have prompted calls from Vilness and a union representingcraneworkers for better enforcement of existing safety rules surrounding cranes and new regulations governing their assembly and dismantlement.

"It's insane to me that in this day and age, we're still seeing this stuff happen. I could see people's lives that are at stake," said Vilness, who has spent 32 years in the construction industry himself.

He said his wish for this year is that everybody who works on acraneor at a construction site is able to make it home safely.

"I hope that no other families have to go through what we and the [Oakridge]worker's family is now going through. I would love to see some regulatory decisions made for thecraneindustry or any industry that has high-risk work."

Legislation coming this spring: minister

The provincial government says safety changes are in the works, and could be announced in the next few months.

B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains said in an interviewTuesday that the three recent craneincidents were a "stark reminder" about the importance of workplace safety.

"It is heartbreaking that three incidents involving tower cranes happened in the first few months of this year I certainly believe that all accidents, workplace incidents, are preventable, injuries and deaths are preventable," said Bains.

WATCH | Calls forchangeafter 3rd fatal crane incident in Metro Vancouverin a month:

Crane safety in question after accident kills Vancouver worker

6 months ago

Duration 2:01

Stop-work orders remain in place at a high-rise construction site in Vancouvers Oakridge neighbourhood. It's where one worker died Wednesday after a cranes load fell from dozens of storeys above.Our David Ball has more on the growing calls for safer construction sites in B.C.

He said WorkSafeBCand B.C. CraneSafety, a regional authority responsible for operator certification, will get stakeholders together to discuss if there are gaps incranetower training and how to fix them.

Bains said WorkSafeBChad been looking at regulation changes around towercranesafety since last year, after the 2021cranecollapse in Kelowna about 267 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, in B.C.'s Interior and he expected the agency's board of directors to introduce changes this spring.

Josh Towsley, an assistant business manager at the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115, said three incidents involvingcranetowers within a month is "concerning."

"I think it speaks to the fact that the safety regime in tower cranes isn't where we need it to be and where the public would expect it to be," said Towsley.

On Jan. 26, a section of Lougheed Highway in Burnaby, east of Vancouver,was temporarily shut down when acrane collapsed and dangled from a high-rise tower under construction. Four days later, acraneat a site in Surrey, a little further southeast of Vancouver, appeared to partially collapse.

WorkSafeBC, the provincial compensation and safety authority, said it was investigating both incidents.

The Oakridge site has about 1,700 construction workers, but operations have been halted by WorkSafeBCwhile it investigates the incident.

The authority said,in an emailed response to questions, about 350 tower cranes are in operation in B.C., and there have been 22 incidents involving such equipment from 2019 to 2023.

Towsley said it was important to ensure existing regulations are properly enforced and new rules be developed, particularly around the erection and dismantling of tower cranes.

In B.C., allcraneoperators must have a valid operator's certificate under WorkSafeBC's regulations, but dismantling acranedoesn't require one.

Towsley said companies can lease a towercraneand subcontract its operation to someone with a provisional licence, which could be obtained by answering an online multiple-choice test.

WATCH | The aftermath of a fatal crane incident in Metro Vancouver:

Construction site shuttered after accident kills worker

6 months ago

Duration 2:25

A bustling Vancouver work site employing hundreds was shuttered today, after a crane accident killed a worker on Wednesday. As Joel Ballard reports, those in the industry hope the accident will serve as a wake-up call for more safety rules at construction sites.

"So, we have some concerns around that," said Towsley, referring to the licensing standards.

He said some crews and companies did a great job with training, but others "fell short" of expectations.

"We can't have three incidents in a month ... it's time we got together as an industry and made sure that we take the steps so that workers and the public have confidence in our industry again," said Towsley.

Vilness said he believed crashes like the one that killed his son "could have been completely preventable" if there was proper training and "a set standard in place" for dismantling or assembling acrane.

Over the years, he's questioned whether Cailen received proper training before being sent hundreds of feet above the ground to dismantle thecrane, something in which his son had no related experience.

RCMP said last week that it had asked prosecutors to consider criminal charges over the collapse. Kelowna Mounties said a report had been submitted "for charge assessment for criminal negligence causing death."

"If there are procedures that people have to be trained and qualified before July 12, this never would happen. These othercraneaccidents never would happen," said Vilness, referring to the date of the 2021 collapse.

He said Cailen had a heart of gold, a great sense of humour, and was the "glue of the family," that included his three sisters and two brothers.

"You can never overcome the grief Cailen is on my mind every second of every single day," he said. "We all miss him terribly."