An investigation into the deaths of two men working on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge has now been completed and submitted to police and the Labor Department in Hong Kong.
The fatalities occurred on March 29, when a collapsed viaduct on Lantau Island pulled the men – one a Nigerian national – into the ocean, according to South China Morning Post.
In the report, Dragages-China Harbour VSL Joint Venture was cited for failing to follow standard safety regulations, noting that the workers should have been attached to a more secure platform.
The Highways Department said that it would not release the report to the public, but evaluations have determined that further safety measures will be required of contractors, including mandatory replacement of any staff who fail to adhere to safety regulations.
If further measures are necessary, the department will also consider suspending the accused companies once all the findings have been received.
The Labor Department has now begun their own investigation into potential failures in work procedure, or problems with security.
This is not the first time bridge developers have committed violations. Since construction began on the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge in 2009, there have been 275 incidents resulting in over 600 injuries and 10 fatalities, according to South China Morning Post.
Back in May, That’s reported that 21 individuals, made up of “two senior executives, two senior site laboratory technicians, 12 site laboratory technicians, and five laboratory assistants,” were arrested for allegedly falsifying concrete test reports. All were released on bail.
The ticket price for the bridge, soon to connect Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macau, has now surpassed HKD117 billion. The bridge was originally scheduled to open by the end of 2016, but after multiple budget overruns and repeated controversy concerning its construction, it won't be seeing vehicles until at least 2018.
0 User Comments