Five workers hurt on Trillium Line site
Five workers were hurt on a Trillium Line construction site near the Ottawa International Airport on Thursday.
John Manconi, the general manager of transportation services, told council that just before 10:30 a.m. the workers were injured while working on a cage of reinforcing steel.
One worker was treated at the site and the others were taken to hospital, Manconi said. There was no information about the types of injuries and the condition of the workers in hospital.
Manconi said Ottawa police and the Ontario Ministry of Labour were with the contractor at the construction site.
All construction activities have been stopped during the investigation, he said.
Mandy Downes of SNC-Lavalin provided more details.
“I can confirm that an accident occurred this morning at the Ottawa Airport, at the construction site for the future Airport Station and elevated guideway as part of the Trillium Line South Extension. Crews were assembling rebar cages when one collapsed onto five workers who were assembling the cage from the inside,” Downes said in an email.
“One of the workers was uninjured and the remaining four were taken to the hospital for assessment and treatment for injuries sustained.”
A Labour Ministry spokesperson said the injured workers’ employer is subcontractor Mansteel.
A labour inspector attended the scene and the investigation is ongoing.
The Trillium Line expansion is being built by SNC-Lavalin under the name TransitNEXT.
The job includes extending the Trillium Line to the airport and Riverside South.
The workplace injuries are the first reported to council during the Stage 2 O -Train expansion project. jwilling@postmedia.com twitter.com/JonathanWilling