After repeated robberies, assaults on staff, Vernon 7-Eleven faces huge fine for not keeping them safe

A gas station and 7-Eleven store regularly frequented by Vernon’s street-entrenched population has been fined $365,000 by WorkSafeBC after the convenience store was robbed and workers had coffee thrown at them.

According to a recently published Sept. 29 WorkSafeBC penalty notice, 7-Eleven failed to minimize the risk of violence in the workplace and the store was robbed two days in a row earlier this year.

WorkSafeBC say there were robberies on April 7 and 8 and one back in 2019, along with physical assaults in 2021 and 2019 and verbal threats.

Despite this, staff working throughout the night were instructed not to lock the front doors, and a hatch that separated staff from customers wasn’t used.

The Chevron gas station and 7-Eleven on the corner of 24 Street and 25 Ave is a regular gathering place for the city’s street entrenched, and is a short walk from the drop-in day shelter, the Upper Room Mission and Polson Park.

When iNFOnews.ca paid a visit early one weekday afternoon, the place was surprisingly quiet with only one couple briefly huddled around the back of the building, before they moved on.

A staff member casually told iNFOnews.ca there were “many issues” with the street entrenched, but shrugged when asked if they felt safe. A work crew were fixing the car wash, which was out of commission because a sensor was vandalized.

Much of the WorkSafeBC Inspection Report involves the company’s policies and procedures over workplace safety, when working alone or in isolation during night shifts, and WorkSafe found multiple health and safety violations.

“Workers are regularly assigned to work late night retail at this location where the public access the store through the front doors. The workers have no established barriers between them and individuals who enter the store, however there is a service window to the outside behind the counter that is not in use,” the report reads.

The report says there were no violence risk assessments in place, although one was later submitted.

“However, it was not filled out completely and only an employer representative conducted the assessment,” the report states. “None of the training records showed/indicated that the worker health and safety representative, manager and area leader have been provided appropriate training to conduct hazard recognition, incident investigation, and regulatory compliance.”

The WorkSafeBC report says communications went unanswered.

WorkSafeBC also says the company failed to complete their preliminary investigation within 48 hours after the two robberies and that staff were not aware of health and safety procedures or policies.

“Supervisors have not received training in their rights and responsibilities as supervisors,” the report states, adding training was done by “word of mouth.”

While the $364,790 fine is steep, WorkSafeBC fines are based in part on the size of the company, so larger firms receive significantly larger fines.