The union that represents thousands of Manitoba workers is asking what safety protocols were in place when a construction worker was killed after a trench wall collapsed on him earlier this week.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union says the death raises a lot of red flags about the construction company’s record, and the number of safety inspections taking place in the province during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RCMP were called to the work site on Hillside Road in Oakbank, just east of Winnipeg, around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after a trench wall collapsed, trapping the 39-year-old worker underground.

Emergency crews worked late into the night on Wednesday and on Thursday morning to try and rescue the man. It wasn’t until 9:30 a.m. Thursday that the man was found and pronounced dead.

“All accidents are preventable and that’s the reason we do have standards in place,” said Blaine Duncan, workplace safety and health specialist with MGEU.

Duncan said this latest accident brings to light the importance of workplace safety, especially during a pandemic.

“We’ve had some concerns over the last couple of weeks with respect to not only COVID-19 conditions, but also with the reopening of businesses,” he said.

“We’ve also had concerns with respect to the reduction of field inspections by workplace safety health officers.”

Duncan said it’s not known if the company overseeing the excavation had a permit or whether safety requirements were followed. But it says the company has a history of failing to comply with work orders.

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