Glenn Bertin of Saint John got a sense Friday of what it feels like to be buried alive.

The city worker was shovelling out the doorways of the Saint John City Market on North Market Street around 7 a.m., when a large load of snow came crashing down from the roof and knocked him flat, face first.

"The snow just kind of consumed me and trapped me underneath," said Bertin.

I yelled to Glenn, 'Watch out.' By then it was too late. - Chris Cogswell, city market foreman

He was completely buried under about four feet (1.2 metres) of snow, except for his head, said foreman Chris Cogswell, who was working right beside him at the time, preparing to start knocking icicles off the roof with a long metal pole.

"I heard a loud cracking sound, I looked up and saw that [the snow on the roof] was starting to let go," said Cogswell.

"I yelled to Glenn, 'Watch out.' By then it was to late, the snow was moving."

More snow continued to fall off the Saint John City Market roof Friday as Chris Cogswell described seeing Glenn Bertin get buried earlier in the day. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC) Bertin tried to run away from the building but didn't get out of the way fast enough.

"He got hit full force," said Cogswell, estimating the mound of snow Bertin got pinned under was about 40 feet long, 15 feet wide and four feet deep.

Bertin, who has only worked at the City Market since November, said all he could think about was "how constricted you are when you're under there."

"You get a little claustrophobic realizing you can't move," he said.

"My head was just sticking out, but you still couldn't move your body and [it] just made you a little nervous and you start wiggling your toes to make sure you're all right."

​Cogswell immediately started digging Bertin out, and a couple of employees from Lord's Lobsters who were also outside joined in.

'Very dangerous situation'

Saint John City Market employee Dan Edison said it was lucky no pedestrians were passing by at the time the snow collapsed. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC) Another City Market employee, Dan Edison, who was shovelling farther up the street at the time, also helped.

"I heard my foreman [Cogswell] holler my name two or three times, so of course I dropped my shovel and went up to see what had happened and Glenn was buried in snow up to his neck," said Edison.

"It just goes to show you how fast something like that can happen and I'm just glad no pedestrians, anybody elderly, or anybody walking by like that — they may have been killed, so we were very lucky that way I guess," he said.

Bertin said a chunk of ice hit hit his arm. "Otherwise, I was fine — other than a sore elbow."

He was later taken to the hospital to get checked out, just in case.

"It could have been worse," said Cogswell, who barricaded the street and called in Dowd Roofing to remove the snow.

Bertin "was making light of it, but still it was a very dangerous situation and he could have been really hurt," he said.

"Luckily, I was right there with him and saw where he landed."

Unusual amount of snow

The Saint John City Market still had quite an overhang of snow after a large amount fell on Glenn Bertin. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC) Cogswell, who has worked at the market for 14 years, has had a couple of close calls himself, he said.

"I've been there before when [the snow on the roof] start to let loose and I run close to the building and it slides over me."

"But it wasn't that much snow … and I wasn't right underneath it."

The amount of snow on the roof on Friday was more than usual, given the two snowstorms earlier in the week and the market being closed for a couple of days because of the bad weather, said Cogswell.

Normally, they are vigilant about knocking it down before too much accumulates, he said.

WorkSafeNB issues advisory

A worker removing snow from the roof of the city market in Saint John was caught under a wave of the snow Friday morning. His co-workers dug him out. 1:16 Given the recent heavy snowfalls in New Brunswick, WorkSafeNB issued an advisory on Friday, reminding workers and employers to be careful when clearing rooftops.

"Although it can be dangerous, it's something that must be done since not removing it can be even more dangerous," Eric Brideau, WorkSafeNB's assistance director of compliance said in a statement.

"Snow loads can cause roof collapse and, if the roof is sloped, can fall onto pedestrians and vehicles below," he said.

Anyone clearing snow should be properly trained, wear protective gear and use tools that won't damage the roof. Drop areas should also be marked on the ground.

Snow should be cleared in a cross direction to the roof trusses to reduce the stress on all the trusses at the same time, rather than only one truss, said Brideau.

Drifted snow should be removed first.

"And it's extremely important to remove snow evenly from both sides of the roof to avoid concentrating a load in one area," Brideau said.

Otherwise, the roof could collapse.