WCB REPORT: Cleaners on Vancouver’s SkyTrain “could be exposed to moving trains and the potential for serious injury”

BCRTC failed to provide cleaners and SEIU Local 2 with copy of WorkSafeBC report outlining numerous safety concerns

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEIU Local 2 has obtained a copy of a third WorkSafeBC report issued to the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd. (BCRTC). The report addresses the safety of union members cleaning the SkyTrain in Vancouver, employed by Dexterra Group Inc. Issued and emailed to the BCRTC on August 21, 2026, the report was not provided to SEIU Local 2 or the Union’s workplace health and safety committee.

According to SEIU Local 2, some of the most concerning items in the report include:

1. As the prime contractor and TransLink’s delegated authority at the workplace, BCRTC is responsible for coordinating health and safety activities across employers at a multi-employer site like the SkyTrain but have failed to do so, contravening the Workers Compensation Act 24 (1), and putting workers at risk.
   
   “…there was no documented coordination regarding the movement of live trains within stations while Dexterra’s workers may be working in areas where they could be exposed to moving trains and the potential for serious injury.”
   -WorkSafe BC Inspection Report #202618976951A, p.3
   
   
2. BCRTC has been inspecting Dexterra’s operations since they took over the contract in February 2026 but did not focus on Occupational Health & Safety until July or August. In February they found Dexterra lacked Safety Data Sheets. In March they found chemicals without appropriate labels. When WCB inspected the workplace in June, they found similar issues.
   
   “…the recurrence of these deficiencies indicates that the prime contractor [BCRTC] did not have an effective process to ensure identified OHS deficiencies were corrected and compliance with applicable OHS provisions was maintained.”
   -WorkSafe BC Inspection Report #202618976951A, p.3
   
   

To date, SEIU Local 2 has not been provided with a copy of the report, but a link to photographs of the report is available to the media on the Dexterra Watch website. The notice of compliance report was due to WCB (Workers’ Compensation Board) on September 11, 2026, the same day an SEIU health and safety committee member became aware of the report’s existence.

Lenna McVeety, who is also an SEIU steward, was alerted to the report by a member of CUPE, who came across the report in their crew room. Dexterra employees do not have access to the CUPE crew room, which is kept locked.

“We only heard of the report by complete chance,” said McVeety. “It was posted in the breakroom for CUPE members but not for us. That’s completely unacceptable. We’re talking about a report that has to do with the health and safety of us as workers. If we could be exposed to moving trains and at risk of serious injury, shouldn’t we be told about it?” 

While BCRTC may have submitted a notice of compliance report, their failure to disclose the WCB report prevented cleaners and their representatives from meaningfully participating in discussions about how to address the serious workplace hazards and how to correct them. Furthermore, the health and safety committee has been given no new protocols from BCRTC for coordinating among units.

Both BCRTC and Dexterra had ample opportunity to make SEIU and its members aware of the report.

SEIU met with Sany Zein, the President and General Manager of BCRTC on September 1, 2026, and he did not mention this report.

Dexterra managers participated in a joint health and safety committee meeting with SEIU on September 2, 2026, but they did not share the report, nor did they raise the issue either.

“When workers brought up these very issues, including at a TransLink Board meeting, we were ignored,” said McVeety. “It’s shocking.”

Background

The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink) is the owner of the Expo and Millennium SkyTrain Lines. TransLink has entered into a written contract with British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd. BCRTC is designated as the prime contractor for the applicable Expo and Millennium Line workplaces. As the prime contractor, BCRTC is responsible for coordinating the occupational health and safety activities at the multiple employer workplace, including Dexterra Group Inc., who have been providing janitorial services since February 2026.

SEIU Local 2 represents over 10,000 cleaners across Canada, including the Dexterra employees cleaning the SkyTrain.

CUPE represents the SkyTrain attendants, control operators and maintenance & technical staff.

For more information, contact: 

Daniel Tseghay | Media Contact, SEIU Local 2 
dtseghay@seiulocal2.ca | 403-560-5906