Alberta OHS investigating fall at construction site

Incident happened at McMurray Métis Cultural Centre project

Alberta OHS investigating fall at construction site

A workplace injury at the construction site of a Métis Cultural Centre is being investigated by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety.

The incident happened in Fort McMurray on March 8 at the McMurray Métis Cultural Centre at MacDonald Island Park. A worker fell from the roof a building and landed on pipes. 

The worker was taken to hospital and Alberta OHS has not provided a status update on the employee of AlumaSafway.

A local Postmedia publication says it reached out to the company for a statement, but it did not provide one.

Provincial investigators are still looking into the workplace accident, but so far no workplace safety charges have been laid.

According to Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta, thousands of workers are injured each year. Last year, 161 workers died in the province from workplace injuries, including 101 people who died from work-related illness, and 30 from trauma.

The American Society of Safety Professionals conducted a survey last year which found falls are among the leading causes of death among construction workers in North America.

More than a quarter of respondents suggested the reason as to why this happens is because insufficient or ineffective planning. This results a lower likelihood of using fall protection.

Almost half of respondents said no fall protection was being used when the accident occurred. Fall protection is the most frequently cited workplace safety violation in the United States, and the numbers are similar in Canada.