WorkSafeBC issues more than 1.3 million dollars in penalties after fatal crane incident at Oakridge Park

WorkSafeBC has levied more than 1.3 million dollars in fines against EllisDon Corporation and Newway Concrete Forming following a series of crane-related safety violations, including the February 2024 incident at Vancouver’s Oakridge Park development that killed construction worker Yuridia Flores. The penalties stem from multiple investigations involving highrise projects in Vancouver and Victoria.

Flores died when a large concrete form mould – measuring nearly 10 metres by six metres – fell 26 storeys after accelerating out of the side of the building while being moved between floors. EllisDon, the prime contractor on the site, received a fine of about 515,000 dollars for the fatal incident. Newway Concrete Forming, responsible for providing the formwork services, was fined 113,000 dollars.

WorkSafeBC found both companies had several high-risk safety violations. Investigators said EllisDon failed to maintain an adequate ground exclusion zone beneath suspended loads and did not complete the required lift planning, inspections, or reviews of subcontractor safety practices. The agency said the lift that led to Flores’s death had not been identified as a critical lift, despite its risks.

Newway Concrete was cited for insufficient training and communication for workers involved in ground control and for lacking proper procedures and inspections for moving large formwork components. The investigation also found gaps in risk assessments and noted that equipment used during the lift may not have been suitable for its intended function.

EllisDon was issued an additional 689,000 dollars in fines related to two other crane incidents in Vancouver and Victoria earlier this year, where no serious injuries were reported. WorkSafeBC says the pattern of violations highlights the need for stronger oversight and safety planning on major construction projects across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.