This is one of two construction fatalities in single day in small community
The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed that a worker died at a construction site in Nanaimo on Wednesday, one of two fatal incidents on Vancouver Island that day. According to a report from Castanet Kamloops, emergency services responded to the site, located in the 3700-block of Shenton Road in the Diver Lake area, but no further details have been released about the deceased or the circumstances surrounding the death.
Amber Schinkel, spokesperson for the B.C. Coroners Service, told the Times Colonist the investigation is ongoing, and thus details about the victim will not be disclosed at this time. “Because it’s an open investigation, I’m unable to provide any details into who died or the circumstances,” Schinkel said.
The incident took place at a construction project involving a four-storey commercial-residential building. Multiple emergency crews, including the Nanaimo Fire Department, RCMP, and paramedics, were dispatched to the scene at around 2:09 pm. However, B.C. Emergency Health Services reported that no patients were transported to the hospital.
WorkSafeBC has also launched an investigation but did not provide further details.
WorkSafeBC investigating two more accidents
This tragedy occurred just hours after another fatality at a construction site in Langford, located in the 1400-block of Pinehurst Place on Bear Mountain. In that incident, a man in his mid-20s died despite the efforts of paramedics and police officers to save him at the scene. WorkSafeBC is also investigating the Langford accident.
The deaths follow another serious incident earlier this month in Victoria, where construction worker Kyle McIntyre was severely injured when a heavy load of concrete and plywood fell on him at a site in Chinatown on Sept. 7. McIntyre sustained multiple serious injuries, including fractures and a dislocated knee, but survived. Another worker involved in that accident was treated and released from the hospital the same day. That case is also under investigation by WorkSafeBC.
Workplace safety remains a critical issue in British Columbia, where 175 workers lost their lives due to workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, according to WorkSafeBC. Of these, 60 workers died from traumatic injuries, which included falls from heights, being struck by objects, and being caught in machinery or equipment. Construction sites, in particular, accounted for 39 deaths.
WorkSafeBC also reported that occupational diseases claimed the lives of 93 workers last year, with asbestos exposure cited as the leading cause.
The 2023 fatality count was slightly lower than in 2022, when 181 workers died. However, safety advocates continue to call for increased measures to prevent such tragedies on worksites across the province.
