A number of safety problems have been uncovered in more than a quarter of inspections at highrise construction sites in Edmonton.
Out of 20 construction sites in downtown Edmonton, inspectors found problems at six of them. And while the issues were reported as minor, it's enough to have some concerned.
Safety inspections of highrise construction projects were ordered after a three-year-old was killed in Calgary by a piece of construction debris. On August 1st, Michelle Kresk was killed when a piece of sheet metal flew off a worksite.
"In this case, since there was a fatality, we thought it was prudent to do this series of inspections," said Chris Chodan, a spokesperson for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
To date, OHS has inspected 20 highrise construction sites in Edmonton and another 20 in Calgary. But the province refuses to disclose which buildings were found to have safety violations.
"It was things that weren't an immediate threat to life and or health because that would have resulted in a stop work order, but were certainly a concern and needed to be corrected," said Chodan.
If sites don't comply with the orders, they can be prosecuted and there is the potential for a $500,000 fine.
The City of Calgary is still investigating the young girl's death.
With files from Bill Fortier
