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The fire service says the mid-day rescue of construction workers injured by collapsed concrete at a skyscraper under construction in central London “could have been a lot worse”.
Construction workers gather after an incident at a construction site at 131 King Street in London on Thursday, January 5, 2023. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)
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London fire officials say the mid-day rescue of construction workers injured by collapsed concrete at a skyscraper under construction in central London “could have been a lot worse”.
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Currently four people working on the 25th floor of King St. 131, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after London firefighters helped them out.
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“It certainly could have been a lot worse if people were trapped under the debris and we had to go in and remove some of that heavy concrete and other material that was in there,” said Platoon Leader Gary Mossburger.
The fire service was called to assist Middlesex-London paramedics following a report of injuries at the new building just east of Talbot Street in central London.
The concrete floor above the injured workers has been poured. Before this can happen, the floor must be strengthened and once it has hardened, workers can move onto it.
As workers were pouring concrete and reinforcing the ceiling, which would become the 26th floor above, some of the material dropped and the workers were trapped under the debris, Mossburger said.
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The problem for the firefighters was to get to the victims. The construction elevator took them to the 19th floor and they climbed the others. The wounded had to be carried down four floors before being placed on the elevator and down to safety and treatment.
“There was a lot of muscle power required to get these individuals down safely so they could get away,” Mossburger said.
He added that firefighters were able to quickly control the situation with the help of construction workers.
“They certainly helped us gain access and understand what the hazards were on site during the height of the incident and were able to bring it to a very positive conclusion,” he said.
The provincial Ministry of Labor has been called in to investigate.
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The project is being built by York Developments.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the builder said the partial floor collapse occurred during the pouring of concrete by the site’s subcontractor.
“We are thankful that no serious injuries have been reported and we are now in the process of gathering further information. The safety of workers and the public is at the core of our business, and we will conduct an internal review with EllisDon to ensure compliance with our mandated safety protocols.”
York Developments is a London-based property developer. It’s one of the city’s busiest developers, with tall towers also proposed for 50 King Street and Ann and St. George in the central area, as well as several towers proposed and under construction in the Bostwick area.
The King Street tower will be 31 stories with 266 units and is expected to open to the public in 2023.
The close call recalled the deaths of two construction workers on December 11, 2020 at The Nest complex on Wonderland Road when a freshly poured concrete floor collapsed.
With files from Norman De Bono
jsims@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JaneatLFPress
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