Industrial accidents have become cause for alarm at construction sites in HCMC, and are likely to continue increasing until construction firms pay more attention to industrial safety regulations and enact measures to protect their workers, revealed a Department of Labor and Social Welfare report on industrial safety. 

A worker unwittingly risks his life, sitting on an electric motor with live wires under his feet.

  According to the report, since the beginning of the year there have been 39 fatal accidents in HCMC, of which 18 workers lost their lives due to inadequate safety equipment. 26 workers were electrocuted, and seven died from falls from height.

Not long ago at a construction site in Tan Binh District, a worker fell from a height of 22 meters and was killed, as he was not equipped with a lifeline. On July 21, a similar case occurred at a site in Binh Thanh District, causing the death of one worker and injuries to three others.

Electrocution is another recurring danger to workers at construction sites. Just two months ago, Nguyen Van Duc, of Phuc Huong Co., was electrocuted at the construction site of the house at 24A Nguyen Hien Le Street, Ward 13, Tan Binh District.

The management board of the construction site was blamed for Duc’s death due to failure to abide by electricity safety regulations.

According to Duc’s colleagues, the building was close to completion and he was responsible for putting away construction tools. Duc wound up pulling on a large iron board at the staircase’s kite-winder, without realizing that running under it were electricity wires.

Earlier, workers at the construction site had regularly walked across the iron board, deteriorating the wires’ insulation. As the wires were left without proper insulation as stipulated by regulations, the iron board became a conductor, killing Duc instantly when he came in contact with it.

According to a report by the inspectors of the HCMC Department of Labor and Social Welfare, at present the loss of human lives due to electrocution accounts for 40 percent of construction site fatalities.

The main cause of these electrocutions stems from workers who are forced to use inadequately insulated equipment or improperly rigged electricity at construction sites.

The report also added that the lives of workers are especially at risk while inspections of construction sites continue to poorly detect violations of electricity safety regulations.