Deadly slab-fall on Bangkok expressway brings threat of legal action
Legal action is being prepared over a deadly construction incident that saw cars swerving to avoid a concrete slab as it crashed onto Rama II Road in Bangkok on Sunday.
The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare on Monday threatened to file complaints against the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) and contractor CBT Consortium over the incident, which killed one worker.
EXAT has suspended construction at the site for seven days and launched a probe after the precast slab fell from overhead construction, killing one worker, injuring another and damaging four passing cars in front of Index Living Mall in Bang Khun Thian district.
Witnesses said the slings holding the slab snapped, causing it to fall along with workers who were on the slab.
Debris from the accident also blocked the right-hand lane of the Expressway ring road, causing a major traffic tailback on Sunday evening.
The department’s inspector general Somchai Uejaruporn said the man killed was an electrician, while the injured man is a builder who is recovering at home.
He said the department will investigate whether EXAT and CBT had implemented proper safety measures and if the accident was due to worker negligence or defective equipment. Officials or supervisors found guilty of safety failures face up to one year in jail and/or a maximum fine of 400,000 baht under the Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Act.
The department will wait until the cause of the accident is known before launching legal action, he added.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased electrician will receive 1.21 million baht in compensation, said Bangkok Area Social Security Office 7 director Ratchanee Phupromphan.
Tha Kham Police Station said the four owners of vehicles damaged in the incident have contacted insurance companies to secure compensation from CBT Consortium.
He added that relatives of the deceased had not yet filed a police complaint as they were busy organising the funeral.
