Digging Deep

The worst case scenario

Digging without first locating utility lines can be merely irritating, as it is when it knocks out cable TV. But when a shovel ruptures a natural gas pipe, the consequences can be deadly.

In April of 2003, a backhoe pierced a gas line near a strip mall in Etobicoke, a suburb in the west end of Toronto. The resulting explosion flattened the mall and also destroyed five apartments across the street. Seven people were killed.

The following links offer a history of the event and the following trial.

• The initial CBC News report
• A blog posting from Jim Service, a man who worked near the site, from the day following the explosion. (Note his story of the time he pierced a gas pipe himself)
• A CBC news report that charges had been laid against the gas company, the contractor, and the company hired to locate the gas lines
• A news report from the trial, in which the locator testified that finding the path of the gas lines was difficult, and that digging went ahead before his work was complete.
• CBC’s report that the construction company had been fined $225,000 for its role in the tragedy.
• A news report that charges against the gas utility and the locator had been dismissed.

Posted on January 16, 2008
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