Number of BC construction worker deaths spikes to 35-year high
A total of 54 construction workers died in British Columbia in 2023, marking the highest total in 35 years, according to the BC Building Trades Council.
This includes 28 workers who died from trauma and 26 who died from exposure.
One of the most high-profile construction site deaths last year was when a 26-year-old worker was killed in an accident in early October while dismantling the Eagle Coaster at Cypress Mountain for the season.
The total tally for 2023 is 74% higher than the average number of annual construction worker deaths over the past three decades.
“This is a staggering amount of death in the construction industry,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the BC Building Trades Council, in a statement.
“One worker dead is always one too many, but 54 people dying because of their job really points to fundamental issues that must be addressed. After 43 years, those lessons of safety, regulation and enforcement still have not been learned.”
BC Building Trades Council is holding a ceremony this Friday starting at noon at the Bentall IV Memorial at Art Phillips Park (SkyTrain Burrard Staton block) in downtown Vancouver to remember the deadly 1981 accident during the construction of the Bentall IV Centre tower and all construction workers who have died since.