Aéroports de Montréal is “in mourning” after a work accident claimed the life of an employee in the course of his duties, Saturday afternoon in Dorval.
“The entire YUL airport community is in mourning today and we offer our sincere condolences to his family, loved ones and colleagues,” said Mr. Philippe Rainville, President and CEO. of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), in a press release sent to the media on Sunday.
On Saturday, the employee of the Equans company fell to his death. He was trying “to loosen a suitcase in handling equipment, either a suitcase conveyor or on the tarmac”, explains Antoine Leclerc-Loiselle, spokesperson for the CNESST.
Urgences-santé received a call around 1:15 p.m., after which help was 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”.
In response to this accident, the CNESST suspended the unlocking of suitcases throughout the airport on Sunday, a measure which could however only last a few hours. “After receiving the working method, the CNESST will take note of it and could even lift its decision today,” said its spokesperson around noon.
ADM also 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 assistance and support resources for the personnel who witnessed this accident.
“The employer should submit a work method to ensure that the task is accomplished safely,” added Mr. Leclerc-Loiselle, noting that he had expressed a desire to settle the file quickly.
Possible 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 CNESST only launches an investigation if the company that employed the victim is under provincial jurisdiction. If it falls under federal jurisdiction, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) would take care of it.
Sunday noon, the CNESST still considered the possibility of initiating an investigation, said that it would confirm everything “Monday at the start of the day”.
On the other hand, since Equans’ activities extend beyond the Quebec border, the file would logically be handed over to the TSB. However, it is not yet official.
Equans did not call back The Press at the time of publishing.