KOCHI: The fire and rescue services report on the accident in which four migrant workers were killed after excavated soil fell on them -- at the Nest Electronic City near the Ernakulam Medical College in Kalamassery on Friday -- found several safety lapses on the part of the contractor.
As per the report, which TNIE accessed, the contractor utterly failed to follow safety measures while carrying out excavation. “While digging up a deep trench, a competent person has to be on duty to supervise the work. However, the contractor failed to deploy a competent person to oversee the excavation work,” said an officer with the department.
The report found that heaps of soil were dumped close to the pit. “As per safety guidelines, no equipment or material should be stored near the excavation site and soil heaps have to be removed immediately. But here the soil was deposited adjacent to the trench, which has a depth of nearly 25 feet. “Though it is a primary safety aspect, the contractor ignored it,” the report said.The report pointed out that no ladders were provided to facilitate emergency exit from the pit.
“The piling equipment was erected on top of 25- ft-high soil heap. There was no stability at all for the structure. The contractors even operated heavy earth movers while the workers were engaged in digging the pit. If they had given proper attention to it, the accident could have been averted,” the officer added.
The department found that the company and the contractor failed to keep a detailed record of workers who were deployed at the construction site.
“As per the preliminary report of the contractor, seven people were trapped inside the soil. Though we were able to recover six people, we couldn’t find the seventh person. It took nearly two hours for the contractor and company officials to provide the exact number of workers,” said the officer.
The report prepared by the internal vigilance wing of the department will be handed over to the district collector on Monday. Meanwhile, the police and the labour department have also started a probe into the incident.