BMA tells contractors to tighten security measures after Lat Krabang accident
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt held a meeting with contractors of large projects in the capital to ensure they strictly follow security measures following a fatal accident at a construction site in Lat Krabang last week.
On Friday, Chadchart called a meeting of contractors at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok’s Klong Toei district.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the meeting, Chadchart said the accident at the construction site of the On Nut – Lat Krabang overpass had led to worry among the public.
On July 10, a section of the 20-metre-high elevated concrete bridge fell along with its supporting beam onto the road, damaging several cars and buses and causing heavy traffic tailbacks. One worker was killed and 8 others injured.
Chadchart said the meeting was attended by representatives of contractors of large construction projects under the supervision of the Public Works Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
The projects included constructions of roads, traffic overpasses, traffic tunnels, elevated roads, hospitals, district offices’ building, and fire stations.
The BMA has invited 42 contractors; 38 of them sent representatives to the meeting.
Chadchart said he regarded the contractors as a working colleagues to help with the development of the capital.
“So far, most contractors have had no issues, but the accident in Lat Krabang has caused distrust among the people,” Chadchart said.
“We’re on the same team, so we must help each other,” Chadchart said.
He said he had instructed the Public Works Department, the construction supervisors, and the contractors to review their security measures against any possible loophole.
He said the BMA would focus on safety measures – both safety during the construction and safety of motorists and passersby.
“For example, drainage must have lids or covers, there must be barriers to prevent falls into roadside ditches, and there must be enough lighting at construction spots at night. All of these must rechecked,” Chadchart said.
He said he had also instructed the contractors to make sure the quality of life of city residents would not be compromised by the constructions.
Among other things, they must make sure that the construction would not cause PM2.5 pollution above the safety standard and their construction crates would not cause things to fall down onto houses or people.
The BMA also asked local residents to report safety issues related to the construction via the Traffy Fondue app.
The BMA told the contractors to minimise their impact on road traffic, Chadchart added.
He said some contractors failed to return traffic space on roads after their construction had progressed and they no longer needed those parts of the road.
Even worse, he said, some contractors continued to block parts of the roads with piles of construction materials or tools. He said he had told them to move such things and return traffic surface to motorists as soon as possible.
Chadchart said he had told contractors to stop blocking the drainage system once they have done the construction. He said some contractors blocked certain sewerage during the construction and forgot to unblock them after the work was done, leading to floods following heavy rains.
The governor added that he had also told the contractors not to violate weight limits when they used lorries or trucks to transport construction materials into the capital and to ensure that their trucks do not emit black smoke.
He said the BMA had installed automatic scaling system on certain roads, which would alert the BMA once any truck violates the weight limit.
Chadchart said he reminded the contractors that the BMA did not allow them to hire subcontractors without first seeking permission from the BMA. If their subcontractors caused any trouble, the contractors would be held responsible, Chadchart added.
The BMA will deploy teams to frequently check the construction sites without notifying the contractors to ensure no safety measures are violated, Chadchart said. The teams would be headed by senior officials of the districts where the construction sites are located.
The governor said the BMA would later lay out the criteria for screening contractors for its projects.
For example, the BMA would not hire contractors with records of serious accidents, or contractors who fail to finish projects on time, Chadchart said.
Contractors whose construction sites lead to high PM2.5, or those who use trucks that violated the weight limit or caused black fumes would also be blacklisted, the governor said.
