EDMONTON – An 83-year-old man is in hospital in serious condition after he fell 10 feet from a makeshift scaffold while working in Swan Hills on Friday morning.
The man was contracted to complete a painting job for Devon Canada Corp. on Friday and was working alone in an office space when the incident happened sometime between 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., said Alberta Occupational Health and Safety spokesman Barrie Harrison.
OHS investigators determined the man climbed onto a vertical lift and from there, constructed a makeshift scaffold.
“It’s believed he climbed onto the makeshift scaffold, which gave way, causing him to fall 10 feet to the ground,” Harrison said.
A worker from Devon Canada Corp., who happened to come in on his day off, found the worker conscious but not aware of his surroundings, he added.
EMS was notified, and the worker was airlifted by STARS air ambulance to hospital with serious injuries.
Swan Hills is about 187 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.