BURNABY, B.C. -- Trans Mountain says it is shutting down construction on its pipeline expansion project until early January for safety reasons.

Officials from the company and the Canada Energy Regulator said Wednesday that a contractor was seriously injured a day earlier at the site in Burnaby, B.C.

In a statement Thursday, Trans Mountain says the company is enacting a voluntary, project-wide safety stand-down from Friday until Jan. 4.

Construction at the Burnaby site had already stopped Wednesday after the injury.

The company says its priorities remain the safety of its workers and maintaining a safe work environment.

Ian Anderson, president and CEO of Trans Mountain, says there have been safety incidents over the past two months that are unacceptable to the company.