Roofers face WCB fines over deficiencies

Roofers face WCB fines over deficiencies
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published Feb. 26, 2003

A Lower Mainland roofing company with a history of failing to meet Workers' Compensation Board safety requirements has been hit with its second $30,000 fine because of an investigation surrounding a home roof repair job in Burnaby last year.
Bernard Roofing and Tiling Ltd., which is not listed in the Vancouver area telephone book, received the fine after it was found to be in "repeat noncompliance with high-risk fall protection obligations" as the result of its work on a home in south Burnaby.
"We take fall protection issues very seriously," said Al Johnston, Burnaby area manager for the WCB. "On that particular day at that particular location, there were multiple workers on the edge of a roof exposed to a fall without any fall protection in place or available."
The Burnaby infraction, which took place on July 25 last year, was the second time in a year that the company was fined $30,000 for the exact same infraction. On Feb. 12, 2002, the company received an identical fine because of similar infractions at a job site in the 600 block of East 50th Avenue in Vancouver.
Johnston said the huge fines are intended to send a message to a company that had repeated warnings, yet failed to take action to protect its workers.
"What this fine does is take into account two things - that there was a high risk for serious injury or death to the workers, and the fact that there have been previous penalties imposed on this company, but they've not been significant enough to get the employer to take this regulation seriously."
Two other companies that were active in Burnaby was also fined for repeat violation of fall protection requirements.
Busy Boys Roofing Ltd., which is also not listed in the telephone book, was fined $3,900 for infractions that took place in the 8000 block of Gilley Avenue last July 12.
V.V. Roofing Co. Ltd. was handed three separate fines totalling $4,500 for repeat violations of the guidelines. The fines were for violations while working at a job site at the corner of Fourth Street and Rosewood, and another site in the 7100 block of 11th Avenue.