Man dies after fall at Trail Road Landfill on Saturday

An employee of a small office moving company died Saturday after falling at Ottawa’s Trail Road landfill.

The Ontario Ministry of Labor is investigating the death at the city’s public dump, located south of Barrhaven, as a workplace incident.

The man who died was an employee of Nattiq Inc., a small office moving and consulting company headquartered in Ottawa.

It’s been a tough two days for company staff, according to Robert Stanton, Nattiq’s executive vice president.

« Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time of grief, » he said in a statement.

Stanton said two employees were making a « routine » dump at the landfill when one of the men fell.

Paramedics received a call shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday.

A man was rushed to hospital in « critical and life-threatening condition, » according to a spokesperson for the Ottawa Paramedic Service. He died later.

The man’s family has asked that his identity be kept confidential.

Stanton added that the company, which has about 20 employees, offers bereavement support and counseling « to our colleagues who are also dealing with the loss of one of our colleagues ».

Landfill staff offered support

The Trail Road Landfill has been the City of Ottawa’s only public dump for several decades.

Quentin Levesque, acting general manager of Ottawa’s public works department, said the city is « saddened by the incident » and « offers its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual. »

In a memo to Ottawa council on Sunday, Levesque said the department « also provided support to landfill personnel on site at the time » of what he called « an unfortunate fatal incident. »

Nattiq « take[s] the health and safety of its employees seriously,” Stanton’s statement read, and the company plans to cooperate fully with the investigation.

When CBC visited the company’s headquarters, a representative from the Ministry of Labor was arriving.

The investigation is ongoing.