Wednesday April 3, 2013

An unfortunate event too many

THE STAR SAYS

WHEN the city becomes a big construction yard, it is often seen as a sign of a booming economy.

As cranes rise and heavy construction equipment compete with ordinary traffic at the already congested spots, people soon adjust to the inconveniences.

The ongoing mass transportation work of both the expanding LRT line and the new MRT network is a massive project that has become part and parcel of life for most city folk who pass by such construction spots daily.

For A. Vijayasingam and Arifpuddin Mansoruddin, it was just like any other day as they negotiated through the slow traffic at KM15 of Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang at around 7.30pm last Friday.

Then, in the middle of the traffic jam, some 10 tonnes of construction equipment being hoisted by a crane at the LRT site collapsed onto their cars. Vijayasingam, 34, died on the spot while Arifpuddin, 42, lived to tell the story. For the family of Vijayasingam, the questions raised and the answers offered will not compensate for the loss.

The incident could be dismissed as most unfortunate but it is still an unfortunate event too many.

Investigations into the tragedy must be thorough and the solutions must give us hope that such incidents will not happen again.

A question that needs to be asked is whether construction sites that appear in the midst of heavy traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, are following the rules or taking short cuts?

For example, we can all see the signs at such sites warning of dangers and the need for workers to wear safety helmets and harnesses. But it is not uncommon to see workers, often foreigners, moving in and out without even putting on their helmets.

And what about the perimeter fences and barricades that demarcate a project site? Are they a safe distance away from passers-by?

We also need to ask about the quality of the heavy equipment and the expertise of those handling such machines.

In the latest incident, was the crane hoisting equipment beyond its weight?

We need to ask whether there was sufficient care on the part of the builders when projects arise in the midst of commercial areas. There is a big difference between building in some isolated, new development area and building in the heart of the city.

As we can observe, not only in the Jalan Lapangan Terbang stretch but in many other areas where similar projects are ongoing, the traffic flow is substantially slowed down.

We need to ask if such stretches are safe, or if there is a need to completely detour traffic through other roads. The journey that takes a little longer but is safer will surely be the better option.

For now, the investigators are concentrating on the accident site to look for answers.

But for the authorities supervising such projects, both at the federal and state levels, they need to work together and do an immediate audit on all similar construction sites and raise the red flag if there is even the slightest danger to an innocent passer-by.

Let's not wait for another tragedy to happen.

More News