Stop-work orders failed to improve traffic safety

Unsafe traffic control practices at the Alto on Capitol Hill condo project didn’t end after a flagger was killed:WorkSafe

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

Just months after a flagger was fatally injured by a concrete truck at a Burnaby construction site,WorkSafeBC went on to stop work at the same site three times in one month because of unsafe traffic control practices.

Square Nine Developments Inc was the primary contractor at the Alto on Capitol Hill lowrise condo project at 5523 Hastings St. on Aug. 11, 2021 when a flagger by the site was run over by a concrete mixer truck.

The woman had been directing traffic on the street where the truck was unloading into a pump truck, according to a WorkSafe report.

“When the unloading was complete, the mixer truck was driven ahead to leave the site,” states the report “The (traffic control person) who was in the path of the mixer truck was run over and sustained fatal injuries ”

After an investigation, WorkSafe concluded the flagger had been in an unsafe position, too close to the work area

“A safe work location was not established because the approved traffic control plan for the site was not being followed and the procedures the workers were using were inadequate,” stated the report

Among the contributing factors,WorkSafe listed Square Nine’s failure to give the flaggers working that day an adequate site orientation or a review of the approved site-specific traffic control plan WorkSafe said the developer also failed to coordinate the activities of the flaggers and the concrete supplier’s workers

“There should have been an established procedure for the (traffic control person) to direct the movement of the mixer trucks,” stated the report “Also, the prime contractor was ultimately responsible to ensure that there was an effective overall traffic control system on site ”

But traffic control practices at the site appeared not to have improved seven months later, on March 10, 2022, when aWork-

Continued on page 28

Since 1975, we’ve been Canada’s largest and most trusted tour operator for travellers over 55 offering over 100 destinations worldwide! Join us at our upcoming travel talk and discover more about our exciting value-added and carefully planned group tours!