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RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC is asking workers and employers to take heed of recent warnings from about elevated avalanche danger in parts of the province as they can be hazardous to workers.

When workers are required to enter or work near avalanche terrain, whether for guiding, resource work, maintenance or other purposes, employers have a responsibility to assess those risks and take all necessary steps to protect workers, the organization notes.

This includes ensuring a qualified person conducts an avalanche risk assessment and that an avalanche safety plan is developed and implemented.

Conditions must also be continuously monitored and workers must be properly trained, supervised and informed. Work should be postponed or stopped when conditions are unsafe.

“Under WorkSafeBC’s employers must ensure workplaces are safe and that workers are not exposed to avalanche hazards,” a release reads. “Where a risk is identified, an appropriate avalanche safety plan must be in place before work begins.”

Between 2014 and 2024, WorkSafeBC accepted 23 claims for injuries related to avalanches, including 11 serious injuries and one fatality.

Additional information is available on Avalanche Canada’s website