B.C. ski resort fined $78K after worker seriously injured

Skiers at Revelstoke, B.C., in December 2014. (Jason Soll / Cape Productions via AP)

A British Columbia ski resort was fined more than $78,000 for multiple safety violations after a worker was seriously injured in a utility vehicle crash, according to the province’s workplace safety regulator.

WorkSafeBC says the employee at Revelstoke Mountain Resort was using the vehicle to install parking lot signs when they backed up over an embankment and down a steep slope.

“The vehicle rolled over and the worker sustained serious injuries,” the safety authority said in a summary notice of the penalty issued against the resort.

Workplace safety investigators examined the scene and determined there was no curb or guardrail at the edge of the parking lot to prevent vehicles from going down the slope. WorkSafeBC says such measures are required “wherever there (is) a danger of a vehicle or equipment running over the edge of an elevated area.”

Also, the utility vehicle was not equipped with at least one rearview mirror, constituting another safety infraction, the agency said.

Finally, the safety regulator said Revelstoke Mountain Resort Inc. failed to ensure its employees used seatbelts while operating company vehicles – a violation of the B.C. Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

“These were all high-risk violations,” the WorkSafeBC penalty summary said.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort was fined a total of $78,369.61 for the infractions on March 12.

The resort did not respond to a request for comment on either the incident or the condition of the employee.

On Friday, a spokesperson for WorkSafeBC said the agency’s report into the crash was still in the redaction process but could be accessed through the province’s Freedom of Information Office once the redactions are complete.

The spokesperson said WorkSafeBC fines are typically calculated based on the payroll of the offending employer, as well as the severity of the violation and the employer’s safety compliance history.

“Repeat violations can increase the size of the penalty,” Yesenia Dhott said in an emailed statement. “A penalty is a regulatory tool to motivate employers to follow occupational health and safety requirements.”

The safety regulator did not provide details on the employee’s identity or when the incident occurred.