Office discovers defects at HafenCity construction site
A few days before the serious work accident with five fatalities around two weeks ago in Hamburg's HafenCity, the authorities discovered defects on the construction site where the accident occurred. The last inspection by the Office for Building Regulations and Building Construction took place there on October 20 of this year, ten days before the collapse of scaffolding, according to a Senate response to a minor question from CDU parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering. The NDR had previously reported.
During the inspection, the office, which is part of the Department for Urban Development and Housing, found the following major deficiencies, among others: fall protection was missing in some areas, the personal fall protection equipment of some employees had not been tested and protection against falling objects was not provided everywhere.
Thering emphasized that his inquiry showed that the Senate was aware of these deficiencies. "Safety on Hamburg's construction sites must have the highest priority," demanded the parliamentary group leader. "With this in mind, it is questionable to me why the Senate did not intervene on the construction site where the accident occurred."
According to previous findings, scaffolding fell from the eighth floor into an elevator shaft at the major construction site in Hafencity on 30 October. Four workers died at the scene of the accident - a fifth man later succumbed to his life-threatening injuries in hospital.
- Despite knowing about the lack of fall protection, personal equipment tests, and protection against falling objects, the Senate chose not to intervene at the construction site where the fatal accident occurred, raising questions about prioritizing safety for Hamburg's citizenship working on construction sites.
- Should a similar situation arise in the future, it would be crucial for citizenship to have swift access to emergency services and proper procedures in place for handling accidents at construction sites, ensuring everyone's safety.
Source: www.dpa.com
