Ajax mourns the loss of two construction workers in trench collapse

A community is mourning the loss of two workers who died in a trench collapse in Ajax.

The two men died after a trench collapsed at a construction site on Monday (Aug. 8).  Authorities say the large trench at the site near Rossland and Westney Roads caved in around noon, burying two workers and injuring another two men. The work was part of Ajax’s Rossland Road Reconstruction Project.

Crews using heavy excavating equipment worked through the night trying to find the buried men. The bodies of the two missing workers were recovered around 2:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, flowers had been placed at the site.

Town of Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier said there has been an “outpouring of concern and thoughts by the community in the wake of the accident…”

“On behalf of Ajax Council, I’d like to extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the two workers who lost their lives in the tragic workplace accident in Ajax yesterday,” said Collier in a statement. “Our thoughts are also with the two workers in local hospitals recovering from their injuries and the first responders impacted by this tragedy.”

The mayor thanked the agencies involved with assisting the town and ensuring site safety, including Ajax Fire and Emergency Services, Toronto Fire, Durham Region Police Service, Region of Durham Paramedic Services and the Ministry of Labour.

The Ministry of Labour continues to investigate to determine the cause of the accident.

The constructor is Grascan Construction Ltd., and the employer of the involved workers is Direct Underground Inc., a Ministry of Labour spokesperson told inDurham in an email.

One requirement was issued to the Constructor, Grascan Construction Ltd., the spokesperson added.