Incident is under investigation
Five workers were injured when a scaffolding collapsed at a senior’s home that is under construction in Quebec, according to multiple reports.
The incident happened on Wednesday morning, at the Trois-Rivières seniors' home.
At around 8 a.m., local police received a 911 call about the incident near the intersection of Notre-Dame and Fusey streets in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine sector.
“Quickly, firefighters, paramedics and police officers were dispatched to the scene… Part of a scaffolding had collapsed on some workers… Quickly, operations were able to secure the perimeter to provide assistance to the victims,” said Sergeant Luc Mongrain, spokesperson for the Trois-Rivières police department, in French in le Nouvelliste report.
The scaffolding was at the rear of the building on the top floor, according to the report.
None of the five had suffered life-threatening injuries, although details on the gravity of those injuries were not immediately available, according to a report from The Canadian Press posted on The Gazette.
The site of the incident is a publicly funded seniors' home on the grounds of the former Canadian Tire in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine area, according to a CBC report.
CNESST is investigating the scaffolding collapse
As of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officials could not say what caused the incident, reported CTV News.
Police investigators were on the scene, and determined there was no criminal element involved in the scaffolding collapse incident, according to le Nouvelliste.
Two investigators from the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST) – the Québec Workplace Health, Safety and Equity Standards Board – were also at the site. The agency is investigating the incident.
“Our inspectors are on site to secure the premises, also look at what has been done, everything relating to the working methods used, the equipment, the supervision of workers, the training etc.,” said Audréane Lafrenière, communications manager for Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec of the CNESST, in French, according to le Nouvelliste.
‘Our thoughts are with the workers who were injured’
The Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) – which acts as project manager – said it is “already in contact with the company responsible for the construction site in connection with this sad incident to understand the circumstances,” according to the le Nouvelliste report.
“Our thoughts are of course with the workers who were injured on the site,” said SQI in French.
Meanwhile, Jean Boulet, minister of labour, and Sonia Belanger, minister responsible for seniors and minister of health, noted via social media platform X, that their thoughts are with the injured workers.
