WorkSafeBC has upped the penalty for a Burnaby roofing company whose workers have been caught without proper fall protection six times since 2016.
Abian Roofing, owned by Chuan Qiang Shi in Burnaby, was handed a $20,000 WorkSafe penalty in May for violations at a residential construction site in Chilliwack on April 4.
A WorkSafe inspector reported stopping at the site after spotting a worker on the roof without a fall-protection system, but the worker wasn't alone, according to WorkSafe inspection reports obtained by the Burnaby NOW.
"After obtaining the roofer's attention, I asked that they come off the roof," the inspector wrote in the report. "Five workers joined me on the ground. All but one of the five roofers walked across the roof without any form of fall protection."
The report said the workers were exposed to a risk of falling from between 10 and 27 feet.
WorkSafe described the situation as "a repeated and high-risk violation."
During the inspection, the inspector also spotted a ladder that hadn't been set up properly and determined two workers at the site were new to roofing but hadn't had a documented health and safety orientation, as required by provincial regulations.
The ladder was set up properly before the inspector left the site, and the company agreed "all workers would use fall protection 100 per cent of the time – even to and from the ladder," according to the report.
WorkSafe issued the $20,000 fine a month later.
It's not the first time Abian Roofing has been fined for workers not using proper fall protection at worksites around the Lower Mainland.
Since 2016, it has been fined six times for a total of $52,000, according to WorkSafe's online database, but none of the earlier penalties exceeded $10,000.
According to regulator's website, fines are determined based on the nature of the violation, a company’s history with WorkSafe and the size of the company's payroll.
High-risk or intentional violations and repeat violations can also increase the size of the penalty.
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