July 26, 2010

Highrise tool toss lands Calgary contractor in hot water

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

An online video that appears to show a Calgary construction worker tossing a tool to another worker on scaffolding high above the street is being investigated by the Alberta government and the city.

“The YouTube video was posted last October and the development is now complete, which has created problems for the investigation” said Barrie Harrison, a spokesperson for Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. “But, the investigation, which includes discussions with the employer, continues.”

The video, which was shot on the 29th storey of a condo development shows a construction worker tossing a metal clamp and passing a metal rod across the open air to a co-worker.

The workers, who were on scaffolding high above the street, didn’t take proper safety precautions.

“It is difficult to pass judgment from a video, but typically the contractor would have some sort of safety netting,” said Harrison.

“In some cases the sidewalk and street would be cordoned off. Tools should be passed with two hands and materials need to be secured.”

City of Calgary manager of building regulations Kevin Griffiths said the investigation by the city deals with public safety.

“We want to know what happened in terms of what is going on in the video,” he said.

“We are in the process of collecting statements and evidence, which is difficult eight to nine months later. The exact date of the incident still needs to be confirmed.”

It appears that the incident happened a month or two after a three-year-old girl was struck and killed by unsecured construction debris that was blown from a different construction site.

Provincial inspectors launched a wide-scale investigation into safety at high-rise construction sites as a result. The developer and builders of that highrise were charged with safety code violations.

In May, a steel worker on the 45th floor of the Bow tower dropped a spud wrench, which fell and bounced through the window of a nearby Calgary police station.

The developers of the Bow have since engaged in an all-trades safety review.

The worker was also identified and was professionally disciplined.

Recently, botched demolitions in both Vancouver and Edmonton were caught on video by bystanders and were posted on YouTube, where they garnered thousands of views. Outrage over the incidents brought widespread attention to health and safety issues on construction sites.

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