Vol. 74/No. 4      February 1, 2010

Dilshod Mamurov clung to the scaffolding for a while and managed to survive. He has a shattered spine and fractured legs. He arrived from Uzbekistan on a visitor’s visa three months ago. Those killed were Vladimir Korostin, Aleksey Blumberg, Alexander Bondorev, and Fayzullo Fazilov.

Two hundred construction workers and others held a memorial protest January 7 outside the apartment building where they died. Among the organizations present were the Ontario Federation of Labour, UNITE HERE, United Food and Commercial Workers, Canadian Auto Workers, Justice for Migrant Workers, and No One is Illegal.

Oksana Afanasenko, whose husband Aleksey Blumberg was killed, said in a prepared statement read to the gathering, “Lots of guys who work in construction work without documents, or as refugees. When this happens they’re afraid to tell the truth because they’re afraid of deportation. I know they are dead, but I hope their deaths will save many lives in the future.”

The workers were on a platform called a “swing stage.” Normally there are two pieces to a swing stage but this one had four. Some construction companies use a large swing stage to work on two adjoining balconies at the same time. Chris Heald, who works for Riviera Restoration, commented, “Sure it saves time, but is it safe? No.”

“I would never use a stage longer than 20 feet,” said Danny Luigi, a construction contractor. The one that collapsed was twice that length. “Even on a two-piece stage, I wouldn’t let more that two people go up,” he added. “It’s unbelievable that there were five on it.”

The workers were employed by Metron Construction of Toronto. Work had been halted on the building October 20. Five work orders to improve safety were issued at that time. The Ministry of Labour gave Metron the go-ahead to resume work December 17, issuing three more work orders asking the owners to ensure that it was safe to work on the swing stage.

Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, has demanded a criminal investigation.

Michael Yorke, president of Carpenters’ Union Local 27, said he’s convinced the men wouldn’t have died had proper workplace protocols been observed. “We believe that this was a preventable accident. None of the workers were tied down with a lifeline.”

On December 23 a 25-year-old worker was electrocuted while installing a fan at the Holiday Inn on Bloor Street, also in Toronto. Fifteen construction workers were killed in Ontario in 2009.
 
 
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