Injured worker and union call on province and citizens to do better
Last week, two separate hit-and-run incidents at construction sites in Montreal have left road workers injured and one dead, sparking urgent calls for better protection for these workers.
Fabrizio Altieri, 39, who was injured in the Pointe-Aux-Trembles incident, shared his harrowing experience and pleaded for drivers to exercise caution around construction sites.
Altieri, spoke to CTV News Montreal while still recovering from the event, emphasized the dangers faced by road workers. "We are working, we are not playing," he said, appealing to drivers to understand the seriousness of their work. The incident resulted in Altieri suffering a concussion and bruising, while his coworker tragically lost his life due to his injuries.
In the wake of this tragic event, the United Steelworkers union, representing traffic signallers, has demanded increased protection for road workers. Martin L'Abbée, a representative of the union, called the 19 deaths of traffic controllers in Quebec over the last three decades "inconceivable." He likened the work of these controllers to that of police officers, stressing the need for their safety.
The union is pushing for significant changes, including updates to Quebec’s driving course to include a section on traffic control worker safety. L'Abbée is also advocating for more worker safety training in construction companies that receive government contracts for highway work.
Additionally, the union wants to see a public campaign to raise awareness of signallers' work and harsher penalties, such as higher fines and license revocations, for drivers who violate traffic signals near construction sites.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault's office has expressed condolences to the victim's family and welcomed proposals for improving worker safety. The office already plans to implement additional measures in contracts to ensure proper signage installation at roadwork sites. Recently, the province updated its three-year safety plan for roadwork sites, but L'Abbée insists that more needs to be done to protect these workers.
Unfortunately, the dangers persist, as another road worker was hit by a car at a construction site in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough shortly after the previous incidents. While the driver suffered minor injuries, the incident underscores the need for swift action to protect the safety of road workers.
As Quebec mourns the loss of one road worker and grapples with the injuries of others, it is clear that urgent measures are required to ensure the safety of those working to maintain and improve the province's infrastructure.
