Canadian Occupational Safety | A ski resort in British Columbia has been fined $78,369.61 following a serious workplace incident in which an employee was severely injured.
While the worker was installing signage in a parking lot using a utility vehicle, the employee accidentally reversed the vehicle over the edge of an unguarded slope at the ski resort, resulting in a rollover crash that caused serious injuries.
Following the incident, inspectors from WorkSafeBC determined that the ski resort failed to install curbs or guardrails at the parking lot’s edge, an essential safety feature required in areas where vehicles face the risk of running off elevated surfaces.
The safety authority also cited the lack of a rearview mirror on the utility vehicle and a failure to enforce seatbelt use among employees, both breaches of B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
While WorkSafeBC did not disclose the date of the crash or the identity of the employee involved, a spokesperson said that the agency’s full investigation report is undergoing redaction and will eventually be available through the province’s Freedom of Information Office.
Penalties, the agency added, are based on the employer’s payroll, the seriousness of the infraction, and their compliance history.
