Kalamassery landslip: Contractor flouted security norms, says report

Express News Service

KOCHI: The fireplace and rescue companies report on the accident by which 4 migrant employees had been killed after excavated soil fell  on them — on the Nest Electronic City close to the Ernakulam Medical College in Kalamassery on Friday — discovered a number of security lapses on the a part of the contractor.

As per the report, which TNIE accessed, the contractor completely didn’t observe security measures whereas finishing up 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,” mentioned an officer with the division.

The report discovered that heaps of soil had been dumped near 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 mentioned.The report identified that no ladders had been supplied 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 division discovered that the corporate and the contractor didn’t maintain an in depth report of employees who had been deployed on the development website. 

“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,” mentioned the officer. 

The report ready by the interior vigilance wing of the division will probably be handed over to the district collector on Monday. Meanwhile, the police and the labour division have additionally began a probe into the incident.