BC Ferries fined $674K after death of worker at maintenance facility

The BC Ferries vessel Queen of Surrey passes Bowen Island while traveling on Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A major British Columbia transportation provider has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars following an investigation into the death of an employee.

BC Ferries has been ordered to pay $674,445.92 by WorkSafeBC, the provincial workers' compensation board.

The penalty follows an investigation into the 2020 death.

According to WorkSafeBC, a BC Ferries employee had been working on a ferry vessel that was docked at a maintenance facility in Richmond.

"The worker leaned onto and over a panel of fabric webbing and was attempting to retrieve an item floating in the water," WorkSafeBC said of what happened.

"The fabric webbing panel broke away, and the worker fell into the water and drowned."

The agency's investigation determined the worker hadn't been wearing a personal floatation device at the time, and that the panels were "insufficient at controlling the hazard of falling into the water."

WorkSafeBC said there were no safe work procedures developed when it came to retrieving objects that fell into the water, as was the case in this incident, and that BC Ferries "failed to ensure the health and safety of all workers at its worksite."

In addition, it said, BC Ferries failed to provide workers with the training, instruction and supervision necessary to ensure they stayed safe while at work.

"These were both high-risk violations."

The hefty penalty has already been paid, according to BC Ferries.

In a statement, BC Ferries acknowledged the "devastating loss" and its impact on the worker's colleagues and family, and said it has already addressed some areas of concern.

The service said it's waiting for a review of the WorkSafeBC report to give it a better understanding of how its decisions were made, and whether there are any further improvements.

"The Request for Review process allows for BC Ferries to demonstrate reasonable precautions, safety policies and procedures, and training were in place," a spokesperson said.

"It also ensures that WorkSafeBC will disclose the materials and evidence it relied on to reach its conclusions in the inspection report. In addition, BC Ferries is still awaiting the coroner's report to complete our internal investigation."

When BC Ferries has access to all materials and reports, it will make a decision on whether to appeal.