Hundreds of COVID-19 violation orders issued in B.C.

WorkSafe B.C. says 420 COVID-19-related work violation orders have been issued to businesses since a provincial emergency was declared in mid-March.

The agency received 2,507 reports of potential COVIDrelated violations and conducted 14,536 worksite inspections, as of July 31.

The majority of complaints (1,532) have been from the service sector including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, gyms and hair salons, according to WorkSafe B.C.

A high number of potential violations, 363, also came from the trade sector, which includes retail and wholesale operations, supermarkets and service stations.

Complaints also came from the construction, forestry and oil and gas sectors, as well as transportation and warehouses.

Of the 420 businesses that have received violation orders, 139 were from the service sector and 101 were in manufacturing, such as meat processing, breweries, sawmills and agriculture.

Eighty-four orders were from construction sites, 70 were from trade, 18 were from primary resources such as the oil and gas industry, five were in transportation and warehousing and three orders were issued in the public sector, such as government or law enforcement. Al Johnson, WorkSafe B.C.’s head of prevention services, said the fact that there have been more than 14,000 inspections and only 420 orders issued indicates that most employers are successful with their COVID-19 plans.

WorkSafe B.C. officers follow up on order to ensure compliance, and the agency may issue fines or close the business.

However, Johnson said, they have not had to close down any businesses because of COVID-19 violations.

Some employers “may not believe all the information and may believe the risk is lower” than health officials are reporting, said Johnson — though he noted that after receiving an order from WorkSafe B.C. they typically will comply.

“So we are seeing a little bit of that but for the most part employers are trying to protect their workers,” he said.