Two men were seriously injured within a 24-hour period following two separate industrial accidents in Abbotsford this week.

Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to safely remove an unconscious man from the operator's bucket of a scissor lift at the new Walmart under construction at the Highstreet Mall on Mount Lehman Road just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

The construction w orker had been operating the lift and was crushed between the lift's rail and an overhead canopy, said A bbotsford Fire Rescue Service assistant chief Dave Rivett.

"Unfortunately, his head contacted a sprinkler head above him," said Rivett.

The man was first transported to Abbotsford Regional Hospital, and then airlifted to the trauma centre at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

The man, who was an employee with M & L Painting, remains in critical condition, according to WorkSafeBC.

On Tuesday at 4: 30 p.m., a production worker suffered serious leg and possible pelvic injuries after being crushed between two pieces of machinery at Mutual Materials, a masonry and stone block company located in the 2900 block of McCallum Road in Abbotsford.

A forklift running on a track at the site pinned the man against another machine, said Rivett.

A landing zone for the air ambulance was set up on site, and the man was transported to Royal Columbian in stable condition.

Two serious industrial accidents in a short time is unusual but not overly surprising given the scale of the manufacturing and construction sectors in Abbotsford, said Rivett.

"They were two totally different situations and many different situations can occur in industrial sites," he said.

"There's a large manufacturing component in Abbotsford and even though most industries take safety precautions things can occur."

WorkSafeBC is now investigating the circumstances around both the accidents.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com