by Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 22/98) - A man who had made himself at home inside a dumpster narrowly avoided being compacted by a garbage truck on Friday morning.

The driver of the Kavanaugh Brothers' compacter had already begun the garbage-packing process behind the Gold Range Hotel when he noticed a hand sticking out of the back of the truck.

He immediately stopped the packing blade, which exerts 900 kilograms of pressure per every 6.5 square centimetres, and quickly jumped on top of the vehicle to help. The man inside managed to jump out and ran off, limping.

"Another couple of seconds... and it would have squished him dead," said the company's owner John Oldfield. He added it's common for street people to rummage through the garbage for food and bottles. They also use the dumpsters for a warm place to sleep.

A few weeks ago in Fort McMurray, Alta., two men were killed in a similar incident. There have also been a number of close calls of the same nature in Yellowknife over the past few years, said Oldfield.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "From the time the truck hooks in to the bin until the time it starts dumping, it's about a couple of seconds."

Municipal Enforcement director Paul Gamble is encouraging businesses to keep the lids shut on their garbage bins to discourage people from climbing inside.