A WorkSafeBC investigation into the death of a heavy equipment operator working on Cypress Mountain found numerous safety infractions for which the resort has now been fined more than $100,000.
The incident happened on Oct. 3, 2023 on the Windjammer run while crews were disassembling the resort’s Eagle Coaster for the season.
That required the use of a telehandler – a forklift-like piece of heavy equipment used to pick up the coaster’s aluminum rails and load them onto pallets, which can be moved into storage.
According to the WorkSafeBC incident investigation report released to the North Shore News, the operator of the telehandler, 26-year-old Ontario man, was preparing to transport a loaded pallet down the mountain at around 4:15 p.m. and stopped at edge of a steep drop-off, likely to check the load before descending.
The telehandler immediately began to roll down the slope in the direction of workers further down the hill and it lost its load soon after. The operator chased after telehandler and managed to get one hand and a foot onto the outside of the equipment’s cab when the machinery tipped over, landing on him.
Workers attempted first aid and first responders arrived soon after but the injuries were fatal.
The WorkSafeBC investigation began soon after. It turned up numerous issues.
An inspection of the vehicle found the telehandler’s parking brake wasn’t engaged at the time.
Cypress had improper training and operation procedures, investigation finds
The investigation found the operator’s training by Cypress Mountain didn’t meet the standards required be B.C. law and the supervisors themselves were unaware of the applicable regulations.
The manufacturer’s manual for the telehandler, which operators are supposed to have read front to back before taking control of one of the machines, specifies that loads should be carried down slopes with the telehandler in reverse, which wasn’t the case on Cypress.
The maximum slope grade for that particular piece of equipment was 15 per cent but parts of the access road to the worksite reached 34 per cent. The area where the telehandler began to roll was between 13 and 17 per cent.
“No Cypress workers or managers reviewed the telehandler’s operator’s manual, as required by the regulation,” the report states. “The telehandler was not rated to safely operate on the slopes encountered at the workplace, nor was it operated and inspected as recommended by the manufacturer. Cypress did not ensure its supervisors on the coaster project were aware of the hazards of the workplace and the limitations of the telehandler.”
The victim’s name and any identifying details about them are all redacted in the report. At the time of the incident, West Vancouver police said he was new to B.C. and had recently arrived to work at the ski resort over the winter.
Before the release of the report, WorkSafeBC already fined Cypress Bowl ULC / Cypress Bowl Recreations Limited Partnership $132,369 for failing to ensure that the load was properly restrained, failing to ensure the equipment was capable for the job, failing to ensure the workers were adequately trained and aware of the safety hazards, and failing to provide workers with proper supervision to ensure their health and safety.
“These were all high-risk violations,” the summary stated at the time.
The fines WorkSafeBC levies are typically based on the size of the employer’s payroll but also on the nature of the violation and whether the same employer has a history of violations.
No one from Cypress Mountain returned North Shore News’s requests for comment.
