This incident follows reports of another crane collapse three weeks ago
Last week a crane collapsed in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood. Police say that the incident occurred on August 6 around 10.20am, on a construction site operated by The Daniels Corporation near the intersection of River and Dundas streets.
Speaking to news outlet CP24, Toronto Fire Platoon Chief Dan Sell said that though no one on the construction site was injured, two pedestrians – one male, one female – narrowly avoided injury. In addition, Sell said that the collapse is under investigation.
The Daniels Corporation released a statement following the incident: “The ongoing health and safety of everyone on all of our construction sites and in the communities in which we build remains our highest priority,” said Sam Tassone, vice-president of The Daniels Corporation.
In addition, the firm says that the construction at the site has been suspended temporarily.
Furthermore, Toronto mayor John Tory said in another statement:
“I am thankful that no one was seriously injured or killed in today's crane collapse on Dundas Street East. Thank you to all our first responders who responded to this incident and continue to be at the scene.
“This is the second crane collapse in our city in less than a month and so we will want to know what exactly happened in both cases and how it can be prevented…While this incident is still under investigation, I encourage the construction industry in our city to take all precautions possible to make sure their sites and cranes continue to be sage.” He said.
Tory said that his office had reached out to the Minister of Labour’s office, and that health and safety requirements for crane operations fall under the Ontario Ministry of Labour. Also, Tory said that Toronto Building had sent an inspector to assess the site.
July collapse
This is the second crane collapse in less than a month in downtown Toronto.
On July 16, a crane collapsed at a construction site at Simcoe and Wellington streets and hit a building. The incident occurred around 10am, and two buildings had to be evacuated in the surrounding area downtown, according to a Tweet from Toronto Police Operations. Later reports indicate that three buildings were evacuated.
At the time, a report from The Globe and Mail indicated that the crane operator had to be treated for minor injuries following the incident.
Following the collapse, the construction firm operating the site indicated that it was working to dismantle the crane. The Toronto fire department initially voiced additional concerns about the structural integrity of the building that was hit.
In a statement to CP24, the firm operating the site, PCL Constructors, said:
“We can confirm that the crane was secured and that the site and neighbouring building were deemed safe by an independent engineer. We are thankful that no injuries were sustained during yesterday’s incident and would like to recognize the swift response efforts of all on-site personnel and Toronto emergency services and thank the local community for their patience.”
As with last week’s incident, it is not yet clear what caused the crane collapse in July.
