WorkSafeBC has issued steep fine to a construction company, for ‘high-risk’ violations at a worksite in Fort St. John
Ruskin Construction Ltd. has been fined $81,796, after three workers were observed using jackhammers to break down concrete while dismantling a bridge.
WorkSafe said there were no controls in place to protect workers from respirable crystalline silica, (RCS) so a stop-work order was issued.
According to WorkSafe, the firm failed to ensure it had a qualified person develop an exposure control plan. It also failed to ensure workers used appropriate respirators, and failed to ensure workers were clean shaven where the respirator seals with the face.
The company is said to have also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated violation, and failed to ensure the health and safety of all workers at the worksite. These were all high-risk violations.
Inhaling silica dust can cause silicosis, a serious and irreversible lung disease. Cutting, breaking, crushing, drilling, grinding, or blasting concrete or stone releases the dust. As workers breathe in the dust the silica settles in their lungs.
WorkSafe said it can be lethal and damages the lung, causing scar tissue to form. This causes the lung tissue to become thicker and exposure can also cause lung cancer.