The “coordinated efforts” of emergency responders is being credited for saving the life of a worker who was trapped in a collapsed trench late Monday afternoon in Oakville.
The incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. at a “large new home construction” on Lakeshore Road West at Morden Road, which is just west of Dorval Drive.
According to Oakville Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault, the man fell in the trench, which then collapsed burying him in several feet of dirt.
“Our personnel surveyed the situation, and recognized the patient was talking and coherent and that a specialized extrication for trench was required,” Oakville Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault told CP24 in a statement.
He said then then put in a call for assistance to Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services’ technical trench rescue team, which “with extreme precision secured the ground surrounding the patient and a vacuum truck assisted with some earth removal.”
The worker, who is employed by CDA Landscape Services, was removed from the trench roughly three and a half hours after emergency responders arrived at the scene and taken by pamedics to hospital for monitoring.
The man’s injuries are non-life-threatening, Boissonneault said.
“All emergency personnel on scene worked extremely well together and the patient was safely removed,” he said.
“Trench rescue emergencies pose significant hazards to patients and responders due to the unstable and volatile changing conditions. … The coordinated efforts by all personnel and agencies involved resulted in a positive outcome to a very dangerous situation. “
The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is investigating. The ministry told CP24 that an inspector attended the scene and issued one requirement to the constructor, MTM Landscape Contractors Inc.
With files from CP24's Jordan Fleguel.
