The company contracted to build the Canada Line does not have a resume-work date for the North Arm section of the Canada Line bridge after the death of a 22-year-old crane operator, a spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
Work halted on Monday when a mobile crane, used for lifting materials onto the bridge, flipped over and killed a 22-year-old man who had been on the job for five months.
InTransit BC spokesman Steve Crombie says all crew and managers on the North Arm section of transit line are in safety meetings today, and grief counselors are available to meet with workers.
"(The length of the) work stoppage will be determined by the managers, in conjunction with the project directors," he told bc.ctv.ca. "It's possible they may be back tomorrow, but we aren't sure. We want to make sure they are all in the right frame of mind."
The North Arm section of the project runs from Southwest Marine Drive in Vancouver, over the Fraser River to Bridgeport Station in Richmond and the airport.
BC Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair told CTV News accidents will continue to occur until WorkSafeBC and the government gets tougher on training and enforcement.
"We know that if you're young or new on a job, you're six times more likely to get injured or killed than for the rest of your whole life," he said. "Employers have to know that as a consequence to not enforcing the rules, they have to really step up the training, they have to change it so that employers wouldn't even think about doing it without training and they have to bring in certifications."
According to WorkSafeBC, there were 87 work-related fatalities in 2007. This was the first fatal accident on the Canada Line.
Officials say they will be reviewing safety measures with all of their workers.
In Transit BC is a partnership between SNC Lavalin, BC Investment Management Corporation and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart
