WorkSafeBC fined a Langley underground utility construction company more than $255,000 after it struck four gas lines in 13 months, including one in Burnaby in November.
The work safety watchdog was called to a job site in the 3700-block of Southwood Street near the Vancouver border on Nov. 29, according to WorkSafeBC reports obtained by the Burnaby NOW.
A machine operator with Complete Utility Contractors Ltd., a Langley company that had replaced a City of Burnaby storm drain in the neighbourhood, hit and damaged a FortisBC gas line with an excavator bucket while trying to clear gravel debris out of a shallow drain trench, the reports said.
No one was injured, but the gas line was ruptured and gas released, according to the reports, and a WorkSafeBC inspector said the incident had the "potential for serious injury or death of a worker."
The inspector cited a number of WorkSafeBC violations.
He said the location of underground utility services had not been identified at the time of the incident; the company hadn't located and exposed all the buried pipes by hand digging or hydro-vacuuming before using powered excavation equipment, and the company's BC 1 Call ticket for the project had expired.
The inspector also concluded that whatever steps CUC had taken to prevent such incidents had not been effective because the company had hit four gas lines in 13 months.
"The incident investigations of these incidents have identified human error as the primary cause of most these incidences (sic)," the report states.
WorkSafeBC slapped CUC with a $255,346.20 penalty on March 4.
In its LinkedIn profile, the company describes itself as a "highly experienced civil/utility company" specializing in underground utility construction for municipalities, districts, developers, and private utility owners.
"We have experience working in adverse conditions and understand the importance of safety, risk mitigation and delivering a quality product," states the profile.
CUC has requested the penalty to be reviewed, according to WorkSafeBC.
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