December 8, 2010

JEAN SORENSEN

A worker fell from a scaffold during the replacement of sails at Canada Place in Vancouver. He later died of his injuries.

Investigations underway in Vancouver after two workers killed in separate incidents

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Investigations are underway into the cause of two construction worker deaths at separate Ledcor construction sites in downtown Vancouver.

“I would hope the WorkSafe investigation and Ledcor’s own investigation will get to the bottom of whatever problem existed to create the coincidence of these two incidents occurring at the same time with the same company,” said Wayne Peppard, executive director of the British Columbia Yukon Territory Building Construction Trade Council.

Dan Martens, 28, was killed at about 8 a.m. on Dec. 2 by falling debris at the Three Harbour Green highrise construction site near Thurlow and Cordova.

The fatality was the result of Martens being hit by a wall form or a brace for a form, while working on the 30th floor of the luxury condo development in Coal Harbour, according to Donna Freeman, spokesperson for WorkSafeBC.

“I can confirm that Ledcor has been involved in two separate incidents that happened close together (in time and location),” said Freeman.

“One incident in Canada Place involves a fall. There is a confirmed fatality at a construction site on Cordova Street. That incident involved a worker being struck by a form.”

Martens, who was a carpenter, was married and the father of four children, between the ages a few weeks old and 12.

He lived in Mission and worked as a carpenter in commercial construction for about 10 years.

In a separate incident, a sub-contractor with BirdAir fell about 50 feet from a scaffold to the ground at about 7:50 am while working on the sail replacement for the Canada Place construction project.

The worker, from Texas, was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries and later succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on Dec. 4.

“We have been informed by the authorities that an employee of BirdAir has died as the result of injuries sustained when he fell from the North East section of the Canada Place construction site Thursday,” said Mike Shardlow, president & CEO of Canada Place Corporation.

“This is devastating news and I would like to personally send my deepest sympathies on behalf of everyone at Canada Place to the worker’s family and friends,” he said.

Both of these major construction safety incidents happened within minutes and a few blocks of each other in downtown Vancouver.

Freeman said WorkSafeBC investigators were at the scene of both incidents.

“The Ledcor Group is currently conducting its own investigation to fully understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident (at Canada Place),” said Ledcor Group vice president of communication public affairs Lee Coonfer.

“Once details of the investigation are known, Ledcor will be carrying out a stand-down of its Vancouver construction projects to share relevant information with all work crews and to reinforce with its sub-contractors Ledcor’s strong commitment to safety.”

The federal government is spending $21 million on the Canada Place roof replacement project.

A tall scaffold, with stairways to access the roof, was erected, so workers could access the roof.

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