Cancer Centre construction staff fear for safety in COVID-19 outbreak

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Lax safety practices are fuelling a significant COVID-19 outbreak at the Calgary Cancer Centre construction site, says one of its staffers.

The man, who wouldn’t give his name for fear of being fired, said he’s amazed the site is still open, adding hygiene standards to reduce the spread of infection are poor.

Washrooms that would supply running water aren’t functioning and hand sanitizer dispensers are often empty, he said.

Many workers are concerned the use of personal protective equipment and social distancing isn’t enough to slow the spread of COVID-19 after case numbers shot up from last week, he added.

“And we dogs keep on working at the site, as no one cares about us,” he said.

“Everyone is (concerned).”

Many of the workers dangerously carpool to their jobs there and supervisors look the other way when staff let down their guard, he said.

“It’s the people carpooling here and the gatherings at the parking lot at breaks as guys hang out together maskless like nothing is going on,” he said.

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COVID-19 testing at the site that employs 1,000 people is yielding an alarming number of positives, he said, but only provides a partial picture because the procedure is voluntary.

“We’ll never know how many have it,” he said, adding they’ve been told infections have been transmitted off-site.

“We have our safety meeting and (employer) PCL tells us ‘hey guys, all is good, keep doing what you are doing’ but we have a major outbreak and we have no idea what to do differently.”

On May 14, Alberta Health reported there had been 35 instances of the disease at the location, a number that jumped to 66 by Monday with 26 of those being active cases.

On Thursday, the ministry said there had been 70 cases among those employed at the site, with 23 of them active.

Because the workplace is listed as a commercial construction site and therefore considered essential, it’s exempt from what would normally be a shut-down lasting for a minimum of 10 days.

Other workplaces that are exempt from closures include airports, health-care and oil and gas facilities, first responder hubs, utilities, and warehouses.

There have been severe COVID-19 outbreaks at oilsands work camps in northern Alberta, with one site — Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. — reporting three deaths from the disease.

Some employees at the work camps have said conditions there are dangerous, especially considering the presence of the more contagious COVID-19 variants.

Regulators continue to oversee the Calgary Cancer Centre site to safeguard employee health, said Kerry Williamson, a spokesman for Alberta Health Services.

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Officials with occupational Health and Safety and AHS visited the location on Sunday, he added.

“From our perspective, AHS continues to monitor the site and work with the operators to ensure all public health measures are followed,” he said in an email.

Inspectors with AHS and OHS this week have said cancer centre worksite washrooms are functioning and that other health measures are being successfully followed, said Shane Jones, spokesman for lead contractor PCL.

“They did a full and complete inspection and they’re completely satisfied we’re keeping our workers safe,” said Jones.

“We’re continuing to follow government guidelines.”

Workers, he said, are encouraged to report any potential lapses in safety protocols.

He and officials with Alberta Infrastructure say the $1.4-billion structure being built at the Foothills Medical Centre campus is on schedule and on budget.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn