Employee had been utilizing a boom lift and was struck by piece of equipment, according to reports
A worker in his 50s was killed at a construction site in Alberta, according to reports. The man has yet to be named.
The incident took place at a residential construction site in Riversong community in Cochrane at 9:30 a.m on Monday, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The fatality was attended to by emergency medical services.
The man is believed to be from Calgary, according to a report from Cochrane Now.
"When they arrived, a male in his 50s had suffered a workplace injury and was pronounced deceased by EMS," says Cpl. Tammy Keibel, RCMP media relations officer. "Currently, Occupational Health and Safety has taken over the investigation."
A CTV Calgary report says that Stuart Brideaux, EMS public education officer, confirmed that emergency crews responded to a location on Precedence Glen at around 9am local time following reports that a worker had been seriously injured.
The worker had been utilizing a boom lift at the time of the incident and that his death is considered non-suspicious, according to a report from CTV News, citing the RCMP. He was struck by a piece of equipment, according to a report from Global News.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety is now conducting an investigation. They have two years to complete the probe.
“We are saddened to hear of a workplace death today at a construction site in Cochrane, AB. Our thoughts are with [the] victim, his family and colleagues,” said the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) in a tweet.
Construction sites are among the hazardous workplaces in Canada and certainly among the top most dangerous occupations according to workplace fatalities. According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), there were 1,027 workplace fatalities in 2018. Of this number, 327 were among trades and skilled transport and equipment operators.
In July, five workers were killed in Kelowna, B.C., after a crane collapsed at a worksite. The incident is still under investigation.
The collapse knocked out power for most of Kelowna's downtown core and prompted an evacuation order for the surrounding area. A local campaign was launched following the incident to honour the workers, and numerous other campaigns were launched to source donations for the victims’ families.
