Utility pole broke in half, firm fined $50K

Peterson Contracting failed to ensure workers maintain safe clearance distance

Utility pole broke in half, firm fined $50K

Peterson Contracting of Williams Lake, B.C. has been fined $50,700.

WorkSafeBC investigated an incident involving this firm. A front-end loader struck the anchor cable for a utility pole with overhead guywires. When the anchor cable was struck, the utility pole broke in half, causing the overhead guywires to fall across the highway. As the firm's workers dragged the loose guywires to the opposite side of the highway, the wires contacted the overhead energized high-voltage power lines.

The firm failed to ensure workers maintained a safe clearance distance from the exposed electrical equipment, a high-risk violation. The firm also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision to ensure their health and safety, a repeated violation.

Source: WorkSafeBC