A worker died after a fall at a northwest Calgary job site Friday afternoon.
Paramedics were called to the 500 block of Kincora Drive N.W. at around 1:50 p.m. for reports that a worker had fallen at a worksite.
"On arrival paramedics determined the adult patient was in critical and life-threatening condition," said Stuart Brideaux, public education officer with Emergency Health Services Alberta.
Police responded at around 2:19 p.m. and found the individual in life-threatening condition. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Occupational Health and Safety has been notified.
Police have not released the worker's name, identified the employer, or described the nature of the fall.
The investigation
Alberta employers are required to report a workplace fatality to OHS immediately. The scene generally cannot be disturbed, except to attend to injured people, prevent further injury or protect property, until OHS permits it.
Investigators attend the site, interview witnesses and examine equipment, procedures and training records to determine whether the Occupational Health and Safety Act, its regulations or the OHS Code were contravened.
That can result in orders, administrative penalties or charges. Charges must generally be laid within two years of the incident, or of when an officer became aware of it.
Fall protection requirements in Alberta
The OHS Code requires an employer to ensure a worker is protected from falling at a work area where a worker may fall three metres or more, or where there is an unusual possibility of injury from a lesser fall.
Protection can take the form of guardrails, a fall arrest system, a travel restraint system, a safety net or a control zone, depending on the work being done.
Employers must also train workers in the equipment being used and have a procedure for rescuing a worker who falls and is left suspended in a harness.
Nothing has been released about the circumstances of Friday's fall, including whether fall protection was in use or required.
A recent Alberta case shows the timeline
Last month, a Calgary-based landscaping company was fined $318,000 after a worker fell through a roof at an Edmonton site in December 2023. The company pleaded guilty to one count under the OHS Act, for failing to establish a system to ensure compliance.
A roofing company faces 24 counts in connection with the same incident, including failing to protect workers from falling and failing to replace a cover over a hole immediately. None of those charges has been proven.
Our coverage of that case is here.
The fall happened in December 2023. The guilty plea came in August 2026.
Reporting unsafe work
Alberta workers have a right to refuse dangerous work under the OHS Act, and an employer cannot take disciplinary action for a refusal made in good faith.
Concerns can be reported to OHS at 1-866-415-8690, and reports can be made anonymously. The OHS Contact Centre operates 24 hours for reporting serious incidents.
Support
Alberta's Mental Health Help Line is 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours.
211 Alberta connects people to support services across the province. Dial 211.
Many employers carry an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which is typically free and confidential.
What's still unknown
The worker's identity.
The employer, the type of work underway and the height of the fall.
Whether OHS will issue a stop-work order at the site.
Sources
Calgary Police Service media alert, September 11, 2026
Emergency Health Services Alberta
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act and Code
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