British Columbia Federation of Labour

Vancouver, BC - The umbrella group representing BC's building and construction trades unions along with the B.C. Federation of Labour today commemorated the loss of four construction workers killed when they fell from the 36th floor of Bentall Tower IV in 1981.

"It's time for the carnage to stop" said Tom Sigurdson, Executive Director of the BC and Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council. "Every single fatality in the construction industry is preventable. Zero tolerance is the only way forward."

Since 1981, more than 800 workers have been killed in construction and construction-related incidents. In 2010, the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) accepted 33 fatalities, with sixteen of the deaths resulting from traumatic causes. Asbestos related cancers claimed the additional seventeen lives.

Family members of the workers were joined by Minister of Labour Hon. Margaret MacDiarmid, Official Opposition MLAs, municipal politicians, construction workers, labour leaders, WCB staff and managers at the annual ceremony held at a memorial site across from the Bentall IV tower.

The four workers, Gunther Couvreux (49), Donald W. Davis (34), Yrjo Mitrunen (46) and Brian Stevenson (21) were standing on a fly-form used for pouring concrete when it broke away from the 36th floor of Bentall IV in the afternoon of January 7, 1981. The tragedy is one of the most fatal construction incidents in the province's history.

B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair, joined Sigurdson in calling for key changes to make construction worksites safer, including improvements to job site training, enforced training of supervisors and a cultural shift with respect to the duty to refuse unsafe work.

"Many workers are afraid to refuse unsafe work for fear of retaliation," said Sinclair. "That's simply wrong. Employers should be encouraging their workers to refuse and report unsafe work, not discouraging them as many now do."

"Urgency, lack of proper safety training and fear of refusing unsafe work are key contributing factors in job site injuries and deaths," said Sigurdson. "Each of these are easy to change with leadership from the province and employers."

Sigurdson did praise the recent work of WCB inspectors and staff. "In recent years the WCB has received new resources. Inspections have risen steadily and initiatives in residential inspection have improved safety conditions for some of the most vulnerable workers. But more inspectors and support for regulatory compliance is required."

-30-

For more information contact Tom Sigurdson, BCTC at 778-397-2220 or Michael Gardiner, B.C. Federation of Labour at 778-836-2108.