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In part one of this series, we talked about how WorkSafeBC uncovered systemic risks in crane work, resulting in our crane safety strategy. Part two focuses on the next pillar: oversight. Specifically, how WorkSafeBC inspections help move employers beyond minimum compliance to a risk-based, proactive approach to safety.

Compliance is the floor, not the ceiling

For years, WorkSafeBC has worked with employers in the construction sector to understand and address the risks associated with crane work. Compliance alone has never been the end goal. The intent has always been to support employers in building and sustaining safety systems that work in practice.

This is where risk-based inspections come in. By examining Notice of Project – Tower Crane (NOP-TC) submissions, incident investigations, inspection findings and historical trends, WorkSafeBC can prioritize sites and activities that present the highest risk. Officers look beyond isolated violations and focus on the underlying conditions — co-ordination, supervision, planning and communication — that determine whether crane work is done safely.

A team built for complexity

Crane work is specialized and so is our oversight approach. WorkSafeBC’s Provincial Crane Inspection Team (PCIT) brings deep technical expertise to every site, understanding the risks, the systems and what’s at stake. Our role isn’t just enforcement — it’s partnership. As part of the crane safety strategy, the team has nearly tripled in size over the past two years and now includes 16 officers with crane and rigging expertise.

When WorkSafeBC officers arrive on a site, they work with employers to identify hazards early and strengthen planning and oversight before serious incidents occur.

Results from the field

In 2025, inspectors focused on complex, multi-crane sites, where co-ordination challenges and multiple employers increase risk. The emphasis has been on supervisor responsibilities, activity co-ordination, operator and rigger competency and the qualifications of those involved in crane assembly and disassembly. Targeted inspections have also addressed aging cranes and complex lifts to ensure all critical aspects of crane operations are managed safely.

In 2025, WorkSafeBC’s PCIT conducted more than 1,300 inspections across B.C., including inspections at 85 per cent of identified high-risk sites. Inspectors also issued more than 1,400 orders, including 110 stop-use orders and 51 stop-work orders.

On high-priority sites, 88 per cent of the tower cranes across the province have been inspected.

But the work isn’t done. Ongoing challenges in planning, site co-ordination and supervision persist with some employers. Smaller projects, such as multi-unit residential developments, continue to show gaps.

Inspections on these sites will focus on ensuring prime contractors fulfill their primary responsibility for co-ordinating safety throughout the full lifecycle of a tower crane — including oversight of placement, assembly, operation, inspection, maintenance and removal.

Inspections are an opportunity

When employers act on inspection feedback, they don’t just avoid enforcement; they protect workers and reduce costly disruptions.

Inspections are also an opportunity for WorkSafeBC. We track safety improvements after each inspection and analyze the data to identify emerging risks, inform regulatory updates and refine our crane safety strategy over time.

Up next: Crane safety doesn’t happen in isolation. It depends on co-ordinated action by prime contractors, and shared responsibility among employers, supervisors, workers, certification bodies including the BC Association for Crane Safety, WorkSafeBC and industry partners.

In Part 3, we’ll explore the human system — prime contractor responsibilities, worker training, supervision and competencies — and how these turn plans and oversight into safe work on the ground.

Todd McDonald is the head of prevention services for WorkSafeBC. Send Industry Perspectives Op-Ed comments and column ideas to editor@journalofcommerce.com.