Several WorkSafeBC violations found in local building projects

Nov 4, 2025 | 12:11 PM

Contractors and companies were issued fines for several WorkSafeBC violations over the summer months in the North and Central Okanagan.

WorkSafeBC said in its fall report that it issued penalties relating to several cases throughout the regions over the summer that put workers at risk of injury.

In Vernon, WorkSafeBC said it was inspecting a residential complex being built by Keerat Holdings Inc. / Hilltop Manor, but a representative from the firm refused to provide their full name or the names of the workers to the agency, and also denied WorkSafeBC from accessing their first aid station. The contractor was fined $2,500 for failing to ensure it provided all reasonable means to facilitate a WorkSafeBC inspection, and for refusa] to provide information required by a WorkSafeBC officer.

Also in Vernon , WorkSafeBC inspected a site where stucco was being applied to a four-storey apartment building that was under construction. The agency said the firm, Vernon Stucco & Plaster Ltd., had two workers unguarded on fourth-floor balcony decks, with no fall protection in place, putting the workers at risk of a fall of approximately 9.1 metres, or 30 feet. A stop-work order was issued and the firm was fined $2,500 for failing to ensure fall protection was used.

In Lake Country, three projects were found to have safety code violations over the summer.

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Ravdeep Construction Ltd. was installing the roof of a new apartment building, and during an inspection a WorkSafeBC representative identified a worker on the roof wearing a fall protection harness but no safety line, putting them at risk of a three metre, or 10 feet, fall. Another worker was also found descending from the roof using the top rung of a ladder, contrary to the required safety practice. The company was fined $5,000 for these violations.

Elite Roofing Ltd. was also fined after WorkSafeBC inspected a gas station and convenience store the company was working on and found there were no guardrails in place, putting the workers at risk of a fall from a height of 4.9 metres, or 16 feet. The company was fined $5,000 in this case.

Fox Traffic Control Ltd. was the final company in Lake Country to be issued a financial penalty this summer, after WorkSafeBC inspected a municipal construction project the company was working on and found multiple deficiencies with their traffic control practices. WorkSafeBC said the company failed to ensure traffic control personnel were positioned in the right places, failed to ensure traffic control measures followed the required order of control, and failed to ensure personnel were adequately supervised and oriented to the job site. The company also did not conduct a traffic control risk assessment based on all worksite conditions, base its traffic control plan on that assessment, or ensure all elements of the plan were implemented. The company was fined $7,553.38 for these violations.

There were also three penalties issued for projects in Kelowna over the summer months.

Amanat Construction Ltd. was framing a house, and during an inspection WorkSafeBC found that there were no guardrails or forms of fall protection in place, posing a risk of a fall of roughly 6.1 metres or 20 feet. The company was fined $5,000.

Northern Sky Roofing Inc. was another subject of a fine, when WorkSafeBC found that no fall protection measures were in place for work being done on the roof of a residential complex, putting workers at risk of a 6.1 metre, or 20 foot, fall. The company also had workers accessing the roof using a ladder that did not extend the necessary height above the upper landing, and was not secured in place. WorkSafeBC issued a $2,500 penalty in this case.

The largest fine in Kelowna this summer came after WorkSafeBC inspected the Krazy Cherry Fruit Company Ltd. property, where workers had demolished a house without having done a hazardous materials survey. A stop-work order was issued and the company was fined $12,207.27.

WorkSafeBC noted in its fall report that the penalties were those issued and may change, depending on if the companies successfully file for appeals and are granted reduced fines.

These cases were part of the more than 100 violations that led to fines being issued by WorkSafeBC across the province over the summer months.

by Liam Verster

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