No end to fatalities
The continuing deaths and injuries at building sites point to one thing: lack of enforcement
IN 2017, 183 construction workers lost their lives at their work sites. This translates to 14 fatalities for every 10,000 workers employed. Accidents, too, paint a similar dismal picture. According to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health’s (DOSH) statistics, there were 42,513 throughout the country, giving an average of 116 every day. Dismal data, really. But the tragedy is not just in the numbers. We suffer from a larger affliction. We do not give the foreign dead and injured the respectful treatment they deserve. Instead, they are turned into inanimate numbers in DOSH’s Powerpoint. We must remember that they once walked the Earth, though now they lie lifeless. It is not a question of whether they were foreigners or illegal immigrants. They came here to help build a nation. So treat them well and honourably, too. Like all of us, they earn a living to put food on the table. The injured must be healed and the dead given a proper burial. A responsible contractor would do this.
The sad statistics are crying out for urgent action. DOSH needs to come down hard on contractors. This is not the first time such fatalities are happening. And not infrequently either. Contractors know this. And so does DOSH. A national total of 183 speaks volumes about something terribly wrong with the industry . Let’s take the incident in the Prai Industrial Area last Friday where three workers lost their lives and three more were seriously injured. Initial investigation by the Fire and Rescue Department suggests that a collapsed pillar sent a roof frame falling when the boom of a crane hit it. If the pillar and roof frame can collapse so easily then the contractor has some serious questions to answer.
To be fair to DOSH, it has often called on contractors and industry players to take safety seriously, but obviously such calls are falling on deaf ears of contractors. More serious actions, such as hefty fines, suspension of licences or a total ban from the industry, may be more effective. The scale and frequency of fatalities and accidents at construction sites tell us one thing: contractors are cutting corners, and, are getting away with it easily. It is time the authorities cast their net wider and deeper. Take the case of the crane involved in last Friday’s incident. Was the crane suitable for the intended use at the site? Was the slewing radius of the crane right for the job? We owe it to the dead and injured to find answers to these questions and others.
Accidents do not just happen; they are caused. The cause must be determined and eliminated, not only by the contractors but also by DOSH. Contractors must ensure the equipment used and people employed are fit for the task at hand. DOSH’s job is to make sure that the contractor is adhering to the rules and regulations. Cranes and gondolas do not just fall off from the sky. They fall because they are not used in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications. DOSH must ensure the contractors adhere to them.
The sad statistics are crying out for urgent action. DOSH needs to come down hard on contractors.