B.C. construction firm owner fined in ‘landmark case’ for safety violations at Abbotsford job site

ABBOTSFORD — WorkSafeBC says the owner of a homebuilding company has been fined more than $80,000 for workplace safety violations in a “landmark case” after multiple violations were uncovered at a job site in Abbotsford.

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.