Worksafebc says that a worker killed on the huge development site of Oakridge Park in Vancouver last year when a mold used for concrete dropped by 26 floors should never have been able to stand up.
A report published by the provincial workers’ safety agency indicates that “several critical security failures” are to be blamed for the death of Yuridia Flores on the site in February 2024.
The accident led to the evacuation of around 1,700 workers in the five million square feet project which is a partnership between the Westbank developers and the Quadrial real estate group. He was part of a series of crane accidents in Vancouver last year.
The report indicates that video surveillance images revealed that there was “no effective control in place” and that the security protocols had not been followed, workers are often under suspended charges and areas that should have been prohibited as “soil control areas”.
“The soil control zone is an area generally identified with barriers and / or red danger ribbon that workers and others should not enter,” said the report.
Get daily national news
Get the best news of the day, the titles of political, economic and current affairs, delivered in your reception box once a day.
Flores was held in what should have been a soil control zone, providing traffic control and spots, when it was struck by the 9.6 meter long and six meter -wide mold, according to the report published on Wednesday.
The main entrepreneur, Ellisdon, said in a statement that he “would be forever deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Yuridia Flores”.
“We are firmly determined to provide a security culture that prevents important incidents from performing in the future,” he said, adding that the company examined the Worksfebc report, but it had “not yet had the opportunity to present our position on these questions in Worksafebc”.
The report indicates that Flores “had not received any training or instruction concerning soil control, traffic control or location”.
The agency says there was a lack of clarity on which the entrepreneur was responsible for the control areas and that the ambiguity “contributed significantly”, because no employer took responsibility.
A newway lawyer Concrete Forming, the entrepreneur who employed Flores, said in a statement that he had already implemented changes in the way he makes inspections and operates the control areas.
“Newway examines the content of the investigation report to determine if there are other areas to be discussed. Newway undertakes to ensure the health and safety of all workers on the sites where it works, ”said the press release.
The report indicates that on the day of the accident, several workers were pushing the mold because it was rigged on a crane as part of the process to obtain it from level 26 at level 27 when it “suddenly accelerated on the building side”, falling on Flores.
The report indicates that the pins that were part of the system that connected the crane mold gave in and that a brake pipe was ineffective. He indicates that the front part of the rigging used hooks with safety locks while the rear part included a “set of hybrid connector which was not approved by the manufacturer or a professional engineer”.
Ellisdon did not ensure that the dangers were identified or that the security measures of critical elevators and general costs were coordinated, exposing workers with serious risks, the report said.
“Ellisdon failed to ensure that there was planning, coordination, danger identification, risk assessment, training and supervision for critical elevator and air work on the day of the incident,” said the report.
He indicates that society has also not examined policies and procedures, including those of observers and soil control areas during the Histin and the repositioning of the mold, “leading to the development of dangerous conditions”.
“The inadequate fulfillment of the responsibilities of privileged entrepreneurs was a key factor contributing to the incident,” said the report.
This Canadian press report was published for the first time on March 12, 2025.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press