B.C. construction firm owner fined in ‘landmark case’ for safety violations

WorkSafeBC says the owner of a homebuilding company has been fined more than $80,000 for workplace safety violations in a “landmark case.”

The worker safety agency says the fine stems from an investigation for violations of workplace safety laws involving Phoenix Homes Ltd. and its owner Nirmal Singh Takhar.

It says an investigation in 2023 found Takhar had directed workers to pour concrete at a site in Abbotsford without an engineer’s approval, and later disregarded a stop-work order after a portion of a ramp collapsed by ordering workers to clean up the hazardous area.

The agency says the workers were exposed to risk of “serious injury or death” and the investigation found “numerous violations” of occupational safety regulations, leading to charges against Takhar in January under the Workers Compensation Act.

WorkSafeBC says Takhar pleaded guilty in March, and a provincial court judge fined him $80,500 this month, gave him two-years’ probation, ordered him to retain a safety consultant and prohibited him from acting as a safety officer at any construction site.

Todd McDonald, WorkSafeBC’s head of prevention services, says Takhar’s sentence is a “clear message” to employers that workplace safety is a legal obligation.