It’s been a sad week for workplace accidents in Alberta.

Five workers have died in as many days, in unrelated accidents.

The first accident happened Monday and involved a man who was on a scaffold, which rolled into a hole on a work site near Wainwright.

There were three deaths on Wednesday and a fifth on Friday, one involving a 19-year-old man who was killed after a ramp fell on him at a site near Conklin.

According to Gil McGowan, the President of the Federation of Labour, the government talks a good game in workplace safety but doesn’t put their money where their mouth is.

“For years Alberta has had the second-highest rate of workplace fatalities in the country and we do have a very fast-paced labour market and economy,” he said. “But even given that history, five deaths in one week is virtually unprecedented and for us in the labour movement, it really raises a red flag.”

McGowan adds Alberta still has fewer workplace health and safety inspectors than virtually any other province per worker and is pushing for more since we have more workers in dangerous occupations than other provinces.

“We also have a government that is very, very reluctant to prosecute employers who break the rules and put their workers at risk,” he said. “A lot of employers unfortunately think that there aren’t that serious consequences for breaking the law when it comes to workplace safety and that needs to change.”

No work will be completed on the sites as the deaths of the five workers are being investigated.

660 News, Sat Oct 20 2012
Byline: Megan Robinson and Chris Bowen