March 5, 2010

In wake of toddler death, Calgary task force takes on highrise safety

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

In the aftermath of a toddler’s death from falling construction debris, the City of Calgary and the local construction industry have formed a committee to study safety.

“The city, Occupational Health and Safety and the Calgary Construction Association decided that with the incidents that occurred we would take a look at reviewing safety practices and develop a best practices guide for construction,” said Dave Smith, executive vice president of the Calgary Construction Association (CCA).

“We want to bring out a guide and publish it for everyone, whether they are members or non-members.”

The group originally met last fall to look at the issue of wind gusts and unsecured materials on high-rise buildings in downtown Calgary.

They have now formed a committee to address safety on and near construction sites.

“It really came to the forefront with the gusts of wind in 2008 and the volume of construction in Calgary, which was astronomical in 2007,” said Smith. “If you added up all the construction in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 2007, it was only half of the volume of Calgary. During the boom, there were too many unknown factors, such as inexperienced workers and the rush to meet schedules.

“We are now trying to rectify these problems.”

Smith said the best of the best in the industry have been brought together to create a 40- member task force.

The task force is to develop a best practices guide in: materials and equipment on site; hoisting of material; hoarding and traffic control.

It will be implemented into the Certificate of Recognition program, which is available to all members and associate members of the Alberta Construction Safety Association.

One of the committee’s first actions has been to explore the feasibility of engaging a vendor to provide an early warning weather system and to develop a best practices construction safety guide.

The draft of the best practices guide is to be produced in 30 days and there will be something published within 90 days.

The three construction companies charged under the Alberta Building Code in the death of a three-year-old girl in downtown Calgary last summer have pleaded not guilty. The owner of Le Germain hotel-condo project, Germain Residences Ltd., general contractor Grenville-Germain Calgary Limited Partnership and the subcontractor-Flynn Canada Ltd face a six-week trial starting Jan. 31, 2011.

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