London Fire Department officials say a mid-day rescue of construction workers injured by collapsed concrete in a downtown London highrise under construction “could have been a lot worse.”
As it is, four people working on the 25th floor at 131 King St. were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after London firefighters helped them to safety.
“It certainly could have been a lot worse if individuals were trapped under the debris and we had to get in and remove some of this heavy concrete and other material that was inside there,” said Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger.
The fire department was called to assist Middlesex-London paramedics after a report of injuries at the new building just east of Talbot Street in downtown London.
The concrete floor above the injured workers had been poured. Before that happens, the floor has to be shored up and, once it hardens, workers can move onto it.
While workers were pouring the concrete and shoring up the ceiling that would become the 26th floor above, some of the material let go and the workers were caught under the debris, Mosburger said.
The issue for the firefighters was getting to the injured. The construction elevator took them to the 19th floor and they climbed up the rest. The injured had to be taken down the four floors before they were placed on the elevator and down to safety and treatment.
“There was a lot of muscle power that needed to go into bringing these individuals down safely so they can get out,” Mosburger said.
He added the firefighters were able to get control of the situation quickly with the assistance of the construction workers.
“They were certainly instrumental in helping us get access and finding out what the hazards were on site during the height of the incident and able to bring it to a very positive conclusion.,” he said.
The provincial Ministry of Labour has been called into investigate.
The project is being built by York Developments.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the builder said the partial floor collapse occurred during a concrete pour by the subcontractor on the site.
“We are thankful that no serious injuries have been reported and we are now in the process of gathering further information. Worker and public safety are at the core of our business, and we will be conducting an internal review alongside EllisDon to ensure compliance with our mandated safety protocols.”
York Developments is a London-based property developer. It is one of the city’s busiest builders, with highrise towers also proposed for 50 King Street and Ann and St. George streets in the core area, as well as several towers proposed and under construction in the Bostwick area.
The King Street tower will be 31 storeys, with 266 units and is expected to open to the public in 2023.
The close call brought to mind the deaths of two construction workers on Dec. 11, 2020, at The Nest complex on Wonderland Road when a freshly poured concrete floor collapsed.
With files from Norman De Bono
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