Two workers injured in underground pit
Hufsa Tahir
Staff Writer
@excalweb
Two workers suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an industrial accident at the TTC subway tunnel construction site at York last Friday, marking yet another subway-related mishap.
TTC spokesperson Brad Ross says the workers had been injured while working in a launch pit underground, a shaft which is used to bring up debris from the tunnel using backhoes.
A 42-year-old worker sustained a blow from a backhoe while at the bottom of the pit, rendering him incapable of climbing out of the tunnel. He was lifted by a construction crane and transported to the hospital and was released later that same day.
A second worker, 26, suffered minor muscle injuries. According to Toronto Emergency Medical Services, he was able to climb out of the tunnel without aid.
Toronto police say they were called to the scene around 7:30 a.m. and that an ambulance was requested.
Constable Wendy Drummond of Toronto police confirms both men were found conscious and breathing. Their names have not been released. The Ministry of Labour is investigating the incident and has marked the site inactive until further notice.
Wallace Pidgeon of York media expressed concern.
“Certainly we care very much about any kind of incident that occurs on campus, and we hope that these don’t occur in the future and that those injured make [a full recovery],” he says. “Unfortunately accidents do happen, but we look forward to the day that the subway is finished and York students are able to [use] it.”
The $2.4-billion TTC Toronto York-Spadina Subway Extension Project, he clarifies, is not a York University undertaking. It is solely governed by the TTC, and therefore York is not privy to details about the project.
Meanwhile, Ross says the
general contractor is responsible for all activity on a construction site.
This incident comes merely two months after a previous industrial accident near the Schulich School of Business, where a collapsed drilling rig at an excavation site on Keele campus killed 24-year-old construction worker Kyle Knox and injured five others.
With files from CTV.
