A boom bucket that caught fire last month, prompting a worker to jump 20 feet to save himself, must be proven repaired and safe for future use before it can be returned to service.
The order to RS Line Construction was issued Sept. 13 by a WorkSafeBC investigator, in connection with a Sept. 11 incident in South Surrey that injured a 29-year-old man.
The worker suffered a broken wrist and other non-life-threatening injuries that afternoon when he jumped from a boom bucket after it burst into flames.
The incident occurred at the corner of 3A Avenue and 171 Street just before 2 p.m.
Witness Angela Hiebert, who had been out for a run in the area at the time, told Peace Arch News she "heard this sort of bang and then he went up in flames."
"As soon as he went up in flames, he unhooked himself and just jumped. I watched his head hit the ground," she said.
According to the WorkSafeBC inspection report, sparks from a gas-powered concrete saw the worker was using to cut into a utility pole ignited fuel that had spilled in the bucket during refueling. The bucket's plastic liner then caught fire, prompting the worker to unhook himself and jump to the pavement below.
The report notes that the employer was to complete an incident investigation outlining the cause or causes of what happened; identifying any unsafe conditions, acts or procedures that contributed to the incident; and recommending corrective action to prevent similar incidents.
The employer was also ordered to provide copies of the workers' Red Seal Powerline Technician Certification.