Metro Vancouver fined $170,000 after worker hurt in 'high-risk' water main operation

Members of Metro Vancouver's governance committee are seen during a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (CTV News)

NEW WESTMINSTER — Metro Vancouver has been fined about $170,000 after a worker was seriously injured during “high-risk violations” while working on a water main in New Westminster two years ago.

WorkSafeBC says in a news release that it issued the penalty to the regional district on March 12 after one of two workers helping lift gearboxes off a water main valve was injured when one gearbox “released and lifted forcefully upward.”

It says the gearboxes were being lifted out of a confined space using a crane, and the workers were inside the space using pry bars, on March 15, 2024.

WorkSafeBC says it identified several high-risk violations, including a failure to plan and identify hazards before conducting the operation.

The board says Metro Vancouver did not make sure health and safety activities were co-ordinated and also failed to develop written procedures to on reduce the risks working in confined spaces.

The violations also included the lack of an adequately trained supervisor on-site, and the workers’ lack of adequate training in such situations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.