Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) and the airport community are in mourning after a work accident that claimed the life of an employee in the course of his duties, Saturday afternoon in Dorval. An investigation could soon be launched into this affair which led to the suspension of the unlocking of the suitcases on Sunday.
“The entire YUL airport community is in mourning today and we offer our sincere condolences to his family, his loved ones and his colleagues,” said the President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal on Sunday. of Montreal, Philippe Rainville, in a press release.
The day before, Saturday, an employee of the Equans company had died in a fall. He was then trying “to loosen a suitcase in handling equipment, either a suitcase conveyor or on the tarmac”, explained Antoine Leclerc-Loiselle, spokesperson for the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and occupational safety (CNESST).
Urgences-santé claims to have received a call around 1:15 p.m. Help was quickly sent to the scene. Two CNESST inspectors also came to secure the place and “meet witnesses or people who were in charge of operations at the time of the accident”.
Suspended activities, late flights… and a fire
In response to this accident, the CNESST suspended the unlocking of suitcases throughout the airport on Sunday. According to our information, however, this exceptional measure should not last very long; it would be more a matter of hours than days.
ADM, for its part, claims to have “collaborated with the competent authorities to ensure the proper conduct of the investigation”, then “made sure to work with the partners involved in order to coordinate the presence of aid and support resources for the personnel who witnessed this accident”.
“The employer should submit a work method to ensure that the task is carried out safely,” argued Mr. Leclerc-Loiselle, of the CNESST, pointing out that management had expressed a desire to settle the file quickly.
On Twitter, Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also said he was “saddened and shocked to learn that a tragic work accident has claimed the life of a person” at Montreal airport. “My thoughts are with his family and friends,” he added.
Another incident also took place at the airport on Sunday, when a fire broke out under a grounded Air Canada plane, several images show which were posted on social networks at the end of the afternoon. . Police officers went to the scene, but ADM reported no injuries or impact on airport activities.
Nevertheless, on Sunday, flights were delayed or postponed, but it would rather be due to weather conditions. “The current situation is caused by a major storm system in the northeastern United States which is causing delays,” said ADM spokesperson Anne Marcotte. She reminds travelers with a planned flight “to check the status of their flight before going to the airport” to avoid excessive waiting times.
Towards an investigation?
Equans is a company that offers “technical operation and maintenance services” in Canada and the United States, can be read on its website. The company, which also has subsidiaries such as Contrôles AC and Equans Transport, has more than 700 employees.
The great team of Equans Services is deeply saddened by a tragic accident which occurred yesterday at the Montreal-Trudeau airport.
Pierre Lapointe, senior vice-president in charge of operations at Equans, in a statement
He says his group will offer assistance to authorities if needed. “We are fully cooperating with airport management and the authorities in order to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the accident,” assured Mr. Lapointe, adding that support measures “have also been deployed for all staff. who witnessed this accident.
As a general rule, however, the CNESST only launches an investigation if the company that employed the victim is under provincial jurisdiction. In the case where it falls under federal jurisdiction, it is rather the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) that usually takes care of it.
Sunday noon, the CNESST was still considering the possibility of initiating an investigation, but maintained that it would confirm everything “Monday at the start of the day”. The TSB, for the moment, seems to exclude any form of investigation. “The accident in question is not a reportable incident to the TSB in accordance with our Policy on the classification of events. Therefore, the TSB is not conducting an investigation,” explained its spokesperson and coordinator, Liam MacDonald, by email.