The companies were fined up to $10,516 f or the violations, which were determined to be repeated and high risk
WorkSafeBC has penalized four construction firms in Victoria for not protecting their workers from potentially dangerous falls.
Fines for the violations, which took place between April 24 and May 27, ranged from $2,500 to $10,516.
In a worksite run by Mike Geric Construction Ltd., one worker was on a 45-metre balcony without guardrails or fall protection, the safety agency said. The firm, which received the $10,516 fine, also failed to have a written fall-protection plan for heights greater than 7.5 metres.
In another case, the agency said, RR Roof Rider Ltd. was overseeing two worksites where workers did not have fall protection while on sloped roofs. It said the firm also failed toprovide its employees with essential information, training and supervision on health and safety.
A worker on a site managed by Dwight Gordon Fengstad and Roof Guys Roofing was observed without a lifeline or anchor and without backup fall protection from a height of 5.5 metres on a sloped roof, WorkSafeBC said.
In a similar case, on a site overseen byRight Choice Exterior Ltd.,a worker had no lifeline or fall protection while working at a height of 4.3 metres while on the edge of a flat roof, it said.
In each case, the violations were determined to be both repeated and high risk.
Falls from elevation are a leading cause of workplace injuries, injuring more than 1,000 workers in the construction sector last year, WorkSafeBC said.
Between 2020 and 2024, the industry reported 5,400 injury claims involving falls from elevation, of which 1,900 were classified as serious injuries. Thirty-five were fatalities.
“Falls from elevation can happen from a roof or scaffold to a ladder or truck bed — often due to inadequate protection, not following safe-work procedures, or hazardous conditions,” said Barry Nakahara, director of prevention field services for WorkSafeBC.
“But these incidents are largely preventable with proper planning, supervision, training, and consistent use of fall protection.”
[email protected]