Two workers injured during pipe welding
Repair efforts on Calgary's broken water feeder main have resumed after an incident on Wednesday night resulted in injuries to two workers.
The incident occurred while the workers were welding reinforcements to a pipe that had been lowered into the ground. A come-along they were using snapped, causing a chain to strike them.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek provided an update on Thursday morning, confirming the injuries.
“Two people were injured on-site overnight,” she said via a report by CTV News. “Both were taken to hospital and neither were in critical condition.”
Crews had been working Wednesday night to position a replacement piece of the feeder main, preparing to weld the new section onto the existing pipeline.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) investigators were present at the site throughout most of Thursday morning. According to City Manager David Duckworth, one of the injured workers is a city employee and the other is a contractor.
Duckworth also mentioned that while the installation work on the water main is paused pending the safety investigation, inspection work is continuing.
“Calgarians still have many unanswered questions,” he said on Thursday. “After every emergency, we conduct a thorough post-incident review to find out what happened and why.”
As soon as Calgary’s water services are fully restored, Duckworth indicated that a comprehensive investigation into the feeder main's failure will be conducted and findings shared with the council and the public.
In a statement to CTV News, OHS added: “It is tragic whenever a worker is hurt on the job. Our goal is focused on having all workers return home safely after every workday. OHS is aware of the incident and is responding to the water main repair site in northwest Calgary.”
Water restrictions remain in effect for all Calgarians, prohibiting outdoor water use except for health and safety reasons. Additionally, wading pools and spray parks throughout the city are closed until the issue is resolved.
Residents and businesses are being urged to conserve water for indoor use to help city facilities manage demand.
