February 20, 2008

Occupational Health and Safety

Worker dies at Calgary construction site

A construction worker is dead after a dirt wall collapsed at a worksite in Calgary.

Randolph James Williams, 47, was crushed to death in a truck by a three-storey-high wall of dirt at a southwest Calgary construction site last week.

The Calgary Fire Department was called to the construction site of a 24-storey luxury condo project at James McKevitt Road and Shawnee Gate S.W. at about 3:30 p.m. on February 14, 2008.

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety reported that an excavator was loading a dump truck, when a dirt wall collapsed onto the truck and trapped the driver.

The Calgary man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fire department’s Confined Space Team was requested to return to the site by Calgary Police at about 6 p.m.

After careful consideration, the rescue team devised a plan to remove the vehicle from the dirt and relocate it to a safer area where the driver could be removed. A track-hoe removed large chunks of dirt and pulled the vehicle out. Fourteen firefighters removed the man from the flattened truck. The wall that collapsed was about 80 to 100 feet high and firefighters found further cracking of the dirt near the top.

City engineers issued a no-occupancy permit to the Peace Lutheran Church above the pit. This was a precautionary measure in case there is further collapse. The construction site and incident are under investigation by Calgary police as well as health and safety officials.

The company is bringing in engineers to re-test the area, and work has been halted for at least a week.

JOC News Service

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