British Columbia is considering new rules for tower cranes two years after a collapse in Kelowna killed five people

WorkSafeBC has proposed new regulations, including stronger requirements that supervisors are qualified and rules that safety experts say could bring more inspections of crane worksites.

Chris Vilness, whose son Cailen was one of four workers killed in the 2021 collapse, said if the rules had been in place his son might be alive, and questioned why it took deaths to bring change.

“It should have been standard practice. It shouldn’t be a reactive regulation,” Vilness said.

WorkSafeBC announced the proposed regulatory changes July 14, two days after the second anniversary of the collapse, which happened during work on the Brooklyn apartment building in downtown Kelowna.

WorkSafeBC refused to say whether the proposed changes were in response to the 2021 Kelowna collapse.

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