An elderly worker in his thirties was in critical condition on Monday after falling into a ten-meter-high ventilation duct on a construction site at the Olympic Stadium in eastern Montreal. The workplace accident will be investigated.
Urgences-Santé reports having been called to the scene a little after noon on Monday. The victim was treated by paramedics and transported to a hospital center, where he was still between life and death at the end of the afternoon, the ambulance organization said.
The accident occurred when the worker “fell into an air duct” at the foot of the Olympic Stadium mast, explained an Urgences-Santé spokesperson. He said the injuries are “traumatic in nature.” In other words, they are directly linked to the impact of this fall.
We do not yet know the exact circumstances of this event nor the role played by the worker on the site. No further details were provided on this matter.
In an unfortunate position, the victim had to be extricated from the conduit by firefighters specializing in rescue in confined spaces. “When we talk about enclosed spaces, we mean places that are difficult to reach by steps or elevators, so you really have to go there with rope. It’s a specialization on our side,” explained the section head of the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), Francis Fleury, on this subject.
He said the man fell approximately 30 feet, the equivalent of almost ten meters. The worker was conscious and breathing when he was transferred to the hospital, according to Urgences-Santé, but his state of health was still considered critical.
Having become aware of the situation, the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) opened an investigation. The organization will send inspectors to the scene of the accident, as required by procedure, over the next few hours.
“We are collaborating with the authorities in this sad situation,” the spokesperson for the Olympic Park, Cédric Essiminy, responded in writing on Monday, without giving further details.