VANCOUVER 鈥� When Chris Vilness heard about the crane accident that killed a construction worker in Vancouver last week, he was angry, and he didn't have to imagine what the woman's family was going through.
In 2021, his son Cailen was among five men killed when a crane that was being dismantled collapsed in Kelowna, 小蓝视频
鈥淭hat's so unfair for that family to have to go through something a lot similar to what we did," he said in an interview. "It鈥檚 terrible, it鈥檚 not something you can even explain, and once you have got the call or you have read the text, there is no turning back."聽
The deadly Vancouver accident, in which a load fell from a crane onto the worker below at the massive Oakridge Mall development last Wednesday, was one of three high-profile crane incidents in Metro Vancouver in just over a month.
The crane accidents have prompted calls from Vilness and a union representing crane workers for better enforcement of existing safety rules surrounding cranes and new regulations governing their assembly and dismantlement.
The provincial government says safety changes are in the works, and could be announced in the next few months.
鈥淚t's insane to me that in this day and age, we're still seeing this stuff happen. I could see people's lives that are at stake,鈥� said Vilness, who has spent 32 years in the construction industry himself.
He said his wish for this year is that everybody who works on a crane or at a construction site is able to make it home safely.聽
鈥淚 hope that no other families have to go through what we and the (Oakridge) worker鈥檚 family is now going through. I would love to see some regulatory decisions made for the crane industry or any industry that has high-risk work,鈥� said Vilness.聽
Josh Towsley, an assistant business manager at the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115, said three incidents involving crane towers within a month is "concerning."
鈥淚 think it speaks to the fact that the safety regime in tower cranes isn鈥檛 where we need it to be and where the public would expect it to be,鈥� said Towsley.聽
On Jan. 26, a section of Lougheed Highway in Burnaby was temporarily shut down when a crane collapsed and dangled from a highrise tower under construction. Four days later, a crane at a site in Surrey appeared to partially collapse.聽
WorkSafe小蓝视频, the provincial compensation and safety authority, said it was investigating both incidents.
The Oakridge site has about 1,700 construction workers, but operations have been halted by WorkSafe小蓝视频 while it looks into the cause.
WorkSafe小蓝视频 said in an emailed response to questions about 350 tower cranes in operation in 小蓝视频, and there have been 22 incidents involving such equipment from 2019 to 2023.
小蓝视频 Labour Minister Harry Bains said in an interview on Tuesday that the three recent crane incidents were a 鈥渟tark reminder鈥� about the importance of workplace safety.
鈥淚t is heartbreaking that three incidents involving tower cranes happened in the first few months of this year 鈥� I certainly believe that all accidents, workplace incidents, are preventable, injuries and deaths are preventable,鈥� said Bains.
He said WorkSafe小蓝视频 and 小蓝视频 Crane Safety, a regional authority responsible for operator certification, will get stakeholders together to discuss if there are gaps in crane tower training and how to fix them.
Bains said WorkSafe小蓝视频 had been looking at regulation changes around tower crane safety since last year after the 2021 crane collapse in Kelowna, and he expected the agency's board of directors to introduce changes this spring.
Towsley said it was important to ensure existing regulations are properly enforced and new rules be developed, particularly around the erection and dismantling of tower cranes.聽
In 小蓝视频, all crane operators must have a valid operator鈥檚 certificate under WorkSafe小蓝视频鈥檚 regulations, but dismantling a crane doesn't require one.聽
Towsley said companies can lease a tower crane and subcontract its operation to someone with a provisional license, which could be obtained by answering an online multiple-choice test.
鈥淪o, we have some concerns around that,鈥� said Towsley, referring to the licensing standards.聽
He said some crews and companies did a great job with training, but others 鈥渇ell short鈥� of expectations.聽
鈥淲e can't have three incidents in a month ... it's time we got together as an industry and made sure that we take the steps so that workers and the public have confidence in our industry again,鈥� said Towsley.聽
Vilness said he believed crashes like the one that killed his son 鈥渃ould have been completely preventable鈥� if there was proper training and 鈥渁 set standard in place鈥� for dismantling or assembling a crane.聽
Over the years, he's questioned whether Cailen received proper training before being sent hundreds of feet above the ground to dismantle the crane, something in which his son had no related experience.聽
RCMP said last week that it had asked prosecutors to consider criminal charges over the collapse. Kelowna Mounties said a report had been submitted "for charge assessment for criminal negligence causing death."
鈥淚f there are procedures that people have to be trained and qualified before July 12, this never would happen. These other crane accidents never would happen,鈥� said Vilness, referring to the date of the 2021 collapse.
He said Cailen had a heart of gold, a great sense of humour, and was the 鈥済lue of the family,鈥� that included his three sisters and two brothers.
鈥淵ou can never overcome the grief 鈥� Cailen is on my mind every second of every single day. We all miss him terribly,鈥� said Vilness.聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2024.聽
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
