Death of heat stroke in Quebec: he should have had more breaks

The carpenter who died of heat stroke on the construction site of the boulevard de l'Auvergne and the Henri IV highway in July 2018 should have taken more breaks and drink more water, the report concludes CNESST.

On the day of the accident, Guy Bolduc was busy installing iron angles and preparing wall formwork in an excavation for the Coffrages MR, in Beauce.

According to the investigation report, the ambient temperature and the climatic conditions of the last days forced an increased surveillance of the increased number of workers as soon as they entered work at 5:45 am, whereas the temperature was already above 21 ° C.

At the end of their day, at 14h, when the temperature reached 31.8 ° C, with a relative humidity of 51%, the worker showed signs of confusion and inconsistent remarks. His colleague immediately contacted the emergency services. He was transported to a hospital where his death was found.

Cumulative effect

According to Pierre C. Dessureault, expert in thermal stress CNESST, the only day of July 5, 2018 does not explain the heat stroke suffered by the worker, while a heat wave had raged for three days. "It's the cumulative effect on this day that explains the heat stroke," he says.

The expert adds that the work deemed "heavy" by the worker, coupled with the temperature, resulted in dehydration of the worker estimated at 6.3 liters of water per shift. "If you drink only when you feel thirsty, you can only reabsorb about 60% of the water we need," he says.

The report also states that the worker should have drunk a glass of water, representing 250 ml, every 15 minutes, or reduce his workload.

The CNESST states that 24 workers make complaints or compensation claims each year as a result of heat discomfort.

More details to come ...