Construction Accidents Aren’t Normal
There are those things that are normal.
But… there also those things that are just not normal. One of these things are construction site accidents with fatalities.
These days there is so much planning going into construction projects. There is so much training being done before a team can start work. There are so many inspections taking place during construction work. That’s why it’s not normal to have construction accidents with loss of life.
Normal? By no means. Expected or unexpected? That’s a totally different issue.
Where all of the above (planning, training, inspection) are done superficially. Wherever these formalities are just ticks on a paper checklist. Wherever there is a problem or inconsistency to which those responsible don’t take action, but turn a blind eye instead. That’s where fatalities are to be expected.
I wrote all the above after reading the following stories in the news.
Case 1. Grand Paris Express Construction Site, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
A second death on this construction site happened this week, on the 5th of January 2022. Some material falling on the site is believed to be cause that killed the worker this Wednesday.
A previous fatal accident happened one year ago in December 2020, when a worker fell inside a 30-meter deep grinding tank.
Saint-Denis-Pleyel station, where the accidents happened, is one of the key infrastructures of the future Grand Paris Express. It will be the busiest in the new Ile-de-France metro network, responsible for ensuring the connection 5 different rail lines.
Case 2. Roof Refurbishment in Nizza Millefonti district, Turin, Italy
On a street in Turin, a crane collapsed over 3 workers on a construction site involving the refurbishment of a roof. The three workers were on the platform to mount the crane arm. Only one of them survived, but severely injured.
This accident raised the number of fatal accidents in the Piedmont region to 40 in 2021.
Case 3. Training Facility Construction Site, Bijie (Guizhou), China
A landslide at a construction site in the southwest of China has killed at least 14 people that were working at the consolidation of a retaining wall. Three others were only injured. Rescue crews worked overnight to recover the victims clearing masses of debris and crushed machinery.
The construction site was launched to build a training facility for nearby hospital in the city of Bijie in mountainous, inland province of Guizhou.
