Airport construction work still on hold
CEBU CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) office for Central Visayas will not lift its work stoppage order on the construction of the new Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) 2 until all its conditions are met.
The regional office halted work on the new terminal after Adolfo Flores, the leadman-carpenter of RCK Reydel Construction Corporation, which is a subcontractor of Megawide Construction Corporation, was killed when an air compressor fell on him last Friday.
“We will only lift the work stoppage order once all noted unsafe practices exposing the workers to imminent danger shall have been addressed and all requirements complied,” said DOLE Acting Regional Director Cyril Ticao in a statement.
The new terminal is set to be finished by June next year. The stoppage order was issued last Sunday to MegawideGMR Infrastructure Singapore PTE. LTD. Joint Venture and Megawide Construction Corporation; and the MactanCebu International Airport Terminal 2 Construction Project.
On Saturday, an inspection by DOLE’s labor laws compliance officers (LLCOs) revealed that “there was no safety officer present at the particular work area, where the incident happened.”
Ticao expressed disappointment upon learning there was no safety practitioner and safety officer around while Flores and the two other workers were lifting the air compressor with a tower crane.
“Had there been a safety practitioner or safety officer present at the time, then there could have been someone in authority who would be able to guide the workers to do their job correctly,” he said.
Ticao said safety practitioners and safety officers should exercise good judgment and must be present at a project site especially for work that require permits and clearances such as lifting and rigging activities.
The inspection also revealed that the workers, including the victim, failed to follow proper procedure for the transfer and lifting of the compressor. A substandard sling, known as lanyard, was also used.
It was clear there was “lapse in judgment and negligence on the part of the management,” the inspection report said.
Ticao said the safety practitioner could have issued a memorandum right away asking the safety officer to explain what happened and to submit an accident report.
“We will be observing safety officers and safety practitioners in the region and we will not hesitate to recommend to the Occupational Safety and Health Center the revocation of their accreditation should we see the need to do it,” he warned.
The inspectors noted other deficiencies in the work area including: no safety officers for all subcontractors; no standard rigging procedure; no standard lifting procedure; no safety orientation for all operations supervisors and construction workers; inappropriate or substandard lifting devices used for lifting activities; and no Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license presented for all contractors and subcontractors except for MegawideGMR Infrastructure Singapore PTE. LTD. Joint Venture and Megawide Construction Corporation.
They also found out that the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) was deducted from workers’ wage.