January 15, 2010

Swing-stage tragedy

‘Don't paint us all with same brush,’ Toronto restoration company chief says

Industry doesn't have ‘wild west’ mentality

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

A Toronto restoration company has decided to ramp up its swing stage safety and scrutiny to demonstrate that perceptions of a “wild west” mentality in its industry are unjustified.

“Do not paint us all with the same brush,” said Geoff Grist, president, Brook Restoration. “There are a lot of good contractors and companies out there that we know and even compete against.”

In the days since the Christmas Eve afternoon swing-stage accident that killed four workers when a swing stage came apart 13 storeys above the ground at a Kipling Avenue apartment restoration site, the restoration industry and swing stage use have fallen under intense media and public scrutiny.

In response, Brook Restoration held a special safety meeting recently with approximately 30 of its foremen, an independent safety consultant, a representative from the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO) and its legal counsel to review swing-stage and fall-arrest equipment use and site safety.

“For this to happen on Christmas Eve it really hit home with everybody,” said Alex McMullen, general manager, Brook Restoration. “We work on this stuff all day long. An accident like this is really severe and will have repercussions in the industry.”

Brook has 160 workers and last year used about 80 swing stages while delivering $16.9 million in construction work.

It has received numerous commendations in the past for its safety practices and commitment to the health and safety of its workers.

McMullen told his foremen that increased inspections of swing stage and fall arrest equipment, revisiting crew training and more safety talks will all be required. Job site submissions will now include weekly swing stage and job site inspection checklists and more “toolbox talks” held every Monday and Wednesday.

There have also been published reports that referred to the workers as “migrant” workers. With LIUNA’s past efforts to organize in the restoration sector it found far too many workers in it were undocumented, leaving them “outside the legal framework of our safety and labour laws.”

There is an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 workers in Ontario’s underground construction industry, most of them in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We have grappled with saying anything about this incident but it important to raise awareness about undocumented worker and their safety,” adds Mannella. “We are not trying to make hay of this. These guys are in danger every day.”

“We want the talks first thing Monday morning to get the guy’s heads back into work,” McMullen said. “Think about your job site and something that is relevant and a site-specific safety hazard.”

John Kelly, CSAO field consultant, said site safety does not only involve proper training.

“Swing stages are designed by a manufacturer and are engineered pieces of equipment,” said Kelly. “We cannot modify that piece of equipment because we need to.”

In the wake of the Christmas Eve accident, Brook will further enforce swing-stage load capacity and looking at equipment that operates above them. Industry regulations dictate that swing stages cannot carry more than 1,000 pounds, including workers and equipment.

“A 40-foot stage with two guys on it and a couple pails of equipment does not leave you with much space,” he said.

Brook will also continue to try and avoid using a roof hoist with a concrete hopper over swing stages. McMullen said the hoppers can be “temperamental” or spooled wrong, which can affect swing-stage safety.

“We’ve been trying to use pumps instead — it is faster and safer,” McMullen said. “If we do need to use the concrete hopper for concrete pouring or material loading or unloading, what we will try to do, if the site allows it, is break the stage down, and split it into individual stages and run the hopper between the two stages or on the side.”

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