Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel: Construction site temporarily halted after two workers were poisoned

Two workers suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Bridge Tunnel on Friday afternoon.

CNESST reportedly requested a halt to work after an evening inspection. Working conditions will be considered unsafe.

The two workers were carrying out demolition work in one of the tunnel towers. They had been exposed to a carbon monoxide concentration four times higher than the maximum permissible limit.

Fortunately, they were only exposed to it for a short period before they were moved out of the infrastructure.

The workers were then cared for by Monteregie's ambulance service, CETAM, which put them on oxygen. Fortunately, their condition was quickly declared stable.

CNESST had urgently dispatched an inspector following the incident. This would have required work to stop from 11pm on Friday.

The Quebec Ministry of Transport also confirmed that stopping the construction site should not cause problems with road congestion, because it concerns a part of the tunnel that was already closed to traffic.

The date for resumption of work is still undetermined. The site will remain closed until the Project Manager submits a satisfactory plan to CNESST that ensures worker safety.

Renouvo Lafontaine, the site's project manager, is collaborating with CNESST, confirms MTQ.

Friday's incident is unfortunately not the first event of its kind to occur in the Louis-Hippolytel-La Fontaine bridge tunnel.

“Last summer, there were problems with air quality. There are measures that have been put in place by the project manager. “What we realize is that over time, workers are still suffering from health problems,” explained Ivan Picott, the person responsible for prevention and safety at the council. Quebec Building Merchants, for TVA Nouvelles.

Necessary measures were taken, but they were poorly implemented by the project manager, Mr. Picott confirms.