To the Editor,
I have just finished reading the story about the progress of the repairs on Third Avenue. I keep reading about how safe this province likes to keep its work force. I spent 35 years working in the commercial industry back in Ontario and my eyes almost feel out of my head.
The picture you took shows two men working below ground level with at least eight feet of excavated soil above their heads. In my time in the industry the site would have been closed on the spot and a fine of $250,000 or more issue against the company operating the project.
And at the same time the city would also receive the same fine for allowing the work to proceed without the proper safety precautions being put in place.
What should have been put in the trench was an eight-foot steel cage that would have protected the workers at the bottom of the trench.
You will probably hear that the workers were in no danger of a collapse because of the type soil being dug up. That is no excuse for not following proper safety precautions. In the past too many men and women have died for these same reasons.
Terry Short,
Port Alberni