Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia monitors a collapse on a Coquitlam Construction site, which left a large hole in the shoring wall Thursday.
A video posted to social media shows a crack growing in a shoring retention wall at the excavation site near Foster Avenue and North Road. Soil begins to pour out of holes at the center of the crack, just above a row of anchor plates.
In less than a minute, the massive section of earth gives way, creating a huge hole. The anchors are visible, sticking out of the dirt at the bottom of the site.
The video takes shouts, “Everyone off!” to tell others to leave the fenced-off area.
Three were hospitalized after the collapse of the downtown Vancouver construction project.
Amazon, the developer, said in an email that this failure injured no one. The cause of this is currently being investigated.
Stepan Vdovine, vice president for executive operations, wrote: “All the work done on the site was in compliance with the permits and had been thoroughly reviewed and monitored by geotechnical engineers and consultants.”
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WorkSafe was on site, and they expressed no concerns about site safety. “There is no immediate damage to the infrastructure.”
Vdovine stated that Amacon will be working around the clock with the City of Coquitlam and other authorities to clean up the site. He added that the 500-block Foster Street would remain closed to traffic and pedestrians while safety approvals were obtained.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the residents as we diligently work to secure the site.
Emergency crews at the scene of a collapsed scaffolding in downtown Vancouver
Foster Avenue between North Road and Whiting Way was closed by the City of Coquitlam to ensure safety on the site. At the same time, repairs to the shoring walls were being carried out under the supervision of geotechnical professionals.
It said that “emergency works will continue throughout the day and night to ensure the integrity” of the infrastructure surrounding the area.
The work is expected to take several days. We apologize to the residents of the area for any noise caused by overnight work.
The city reported that there had been no injuries or damage to municipal infrastructure.
WorkSafe BC has confirmed in its email that it is aware of the incident and that they are on-site, monitoring the scene.
The company said that it had nothing further to say about the matter on Thursday afternoon.
The 500 Foster Avenue development was intended to be a 40-storey tower with units ranging from one bedroom to four bedrooms.