Employer 'working closely with the Ministry of Labour to ensure the matter is managed appropriately'
EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare has launched an internal investigation after a worker was seriously injured at the construction site of the new south Niagara Falls hospital, prompting provincial inspectors to issue multiple health and safety requirements.
Niagara This Week reported that the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development attended the 12‑storey hospital project at Montrose and Biggar roads on Feb. 12 after being notified of the incident. A ministry spokesperson said an inspector visited the site and “four health and safety requirements were issued.”
Details about the worker’s role, the work being performed at the time and the nature of the injuries have not been released. The ministry’s investigation is continuing.
Responses from Niagara Health and EllisDon
Niagara Health, which will operate the facility when it opens, confirmed it had been advised of the workplace incident.
“Our thoughts are with the worker and their loved ones, and with the many colleagues affected by this incident,” Niagara Health said, according to the Niagara This Week report. The hospital system referred questions on site safety and the circumstances of the incident to EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare.
EllisDon, which holds a $3.6‑billion contract to design, build and maintain the hospital for 30 years, said the injured worker is in hospital and recovering, but declined to provide further medical details, according to the report.
The company cited privacy in withholding additional information about the worker’s condition, saying it would not comment further “out of respect for their privacy.”
Investigation and project overview
EllisDon project communications manager Lisa Campanella said the company initiated its own review immediately after the incident and is co‑operating with the ministry.
“We immediately launched an investigation, which is ongoing, and are working closely with the Ministry of Labour to ensure the matter is managed appropriately,” she said, according to the Niagara This Week report. “Safety remains EllisDon’s top priority.”
The south Niagara Falls hospital is one of the largest health‑care projects in the region. The 120,775‑square‑metre facility is expected to have more than 470 beds, with construction scheduled for completion in early 2028 and a planned opening in the summer of that year after a move‑in and staff training period.
Recently, EllisDon Forming Ltd. and two supervisors were fined a total of $130,000 after two separate composite floor collapses on London construction projects sent workers falling to lower levels and left four with minor injuries.
