'Extremely close call': Earle McCurdy says concrete accident sign of bigger problems at Muskrat Falls

Serious procedural issues at Muskrat Falls need to be resolved, according to NDP leaderEarleMcCurdy,particularly in light of the accident overnight Sunday that brieflyburied workers in wet concrete.

• Concrete collapse at Muskrat Falls megaproject under investigation

Seven workers received firstaid treatment at the site in Labradorwhen formworkgave way,sending wet concrete pouring out. One of theinjured was hospitalizedin Happy Valley-Goose Bay until Monday morning.

"It was a major incident. This is not just a kind of well somebody got banged up a little bit and had to get a bit of first aid. This was much more serious than that,McCurdytold theSt. John's Morning Showon Thursday.

"The people involved, I understand, were very shaken up by the whole thing. They had an extremely close call."

McCurdysaid he understands from talking to workers at the sitethatit was lucky more people were not in the area when the accident happened.

"Almost any other time, my understanding is, it could have had tragic consequences."

'Push, push push for production'

McCurdy said there should be a review of all contractors at Muskrat Falls and all of the employees overseeing work there to make sure they are doing what they should be doing, particularly when it comes to safety.

The hydroelectricmegaprojectis behind schedule and overbudget.

"There's a push, push, push for production and a lack of a kind of safety-first basis for doing things. And people have said they feel it's only a matter of time before someone is killed down there, which is a pretty serious statement. Too many shortcuts," he said.

• Muskrat Falls costs up again, project further behind schedule

Astaldi is the contractor responsible for the powerhouse, where the formworkcollapsed. The company issued an emailed statement on Monday that said the health and safety of its employees is a number one priority, and Astaldi isworking with Nalcor and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officials to determine what went wrong.

The NDP leader also said the controversy over former Nalcor CEO Ed Martin's severance is diverting the government's attention, and the public's too, from theaccident at Muskrat Falls.

"I think this illustrates the problem when you have poor crisis management in government ...it's not good for the province when we have a matter of the nature of that whole controversy just dominate everybody's time."

While OHS investigates, McCurdy would like to see workers consulted on what happened and what problems exist at Muskrat Falls, as he said that's the best way to really find out what is going on.