'It's not safe enough': Construction halted indefinitely after worker killed at Children's Hospital of Sask.
'This is a very, very sad day for us,' says Graham Construction VP
The 21-year-old man who died following an industrial accident at the Children's Hospital of Saskatchewan construction site on Thursday was a labourer who was hired within the past six months.
At around 3:30 p.m. CST police were called to a construction site in the 100 block of Hospital Drive following an industrial incident involving an employee.
The 21-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released the man's identity.
Colin Anderson, vice-president of Graham Construction, which was in charge of the safety of those at the work site, told reporters at a news conference at the hospital on Friday it was a challenging site due to the confined space.
"This is a very, very sad day for us here," he said.
Construction at the site has been halted indefinitely while an investigation continues.
In November, construction at the Children's Hospital was halted after the forks on a forklift smashed through a window of the nearby Royal University Hospital.
Shortly after, the Saskatoon Health Region and Graham Construction introduced new safety measures including creating a control zone between the construction area and the existing hospital. They also said the risk assessment for each construction worker would be expanded when working near the hospital.
But Saskatoon Health Region president Dan Florizone said more needed to be done, and that the site would not be reopened until it had been deemed safe.
"Unfortunately it's not safe enough and that is reflected by this tragedy yesterday," said Florizone.
He extended his sympathies to the victim's family, and to the first responders who attended the scene.
"Yesterday was shock, today: tears," he said at the news conference on Friday.
"This is a sad place right now."