Three Laborers injured in scaffolding collapse at North Pattaya Construction Site

[webfact]

Three Laborers injured in scaffolding collapse at North Pattaya Construction Site



PATTAYA: -- Construction was halted at the site of a new 17-floor, 287 room Hotel in North Pattaya, on Tuesday Morning after a section of scaffolding collapsed injuring 3 Cambodian Laborers.

The site is located in Soi Petragoon and is run by the Vorakit Construction Company, and construction of the high tower has just begun. The injured workers were on the scaffolding working on the 3rd floor when the collapse occurred. Other workers were able to avoid being hit by the falling metal poles.

All 3 Cambodian Workers sustained only minor injuries but the collapse prompted an immediate suspension of works at the site as ordered by the Pattaya City Hall City Planning Department.

Full story: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/167546/three-laborers-injured-in-scaffolding-collapse-at-north-pattaya-construction-site/


-- Pattaya One 2015-01-28

[ExPratt]

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

[oneday]

It sounds like the "Planning Department" is concerned with safety. That's good news, but these things need to be caught by inspectors before they happen. That's real safety.

[sabaii69]

Should have used bamboo

[soihok]

More construction related accidents.

Proper planning, design, approval and supervision means that is kind of thing is easily avoidable.

Luckily these guys escaped with their lives.

[Rimmer]

Should have used bamboo

Yes I understand bamboo is pretty strong when lashed together, they used to use it in Singapore and Hong Kong, don't know if they still do.

Regretfully here it is often common to use what we would call a masons frame as scaffolding, they can be joined together and make a suitable structure for a house but they are not strong enough to be used as proper scaffolding.

[ToddinChonburi]

They were using old bamboo, that will teach them. How long is bamboo scaffold good for 15 or 20 years ?

[Doc46]

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Cheapskate company,,,,Cheap material,,,,Cheap Labor,,,,Very Cheap non safety scaffolding ,Life not important,,same all,,same all

[elgordo38]

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Amen brother but the pressure for cheap labor is taking place all over the planet. I retired 22 years ago and the present day new laborer is making only a little bit more than I was making when I retired. In Canada the outgoing CEO of the now defunct bankrupt Target Stores (Canada) received a $58 million dollar golden parachute while the 16,700 laid of workers received an equal amount as severence pay. This to me is a sin. There was 45 billion in M & A last year in the USA. This is what businesses are doing with their profits instead of expanding and creating jobs. They then trim all the duplication out of the combined companies to get rid of workers. This equals more squeezed out profits from the combined companies and throws surplus employees on the street. They just do not give a d**m for the little guy any more its all profits profits profits at any cost. With the increase in population, robotics and computers they can do more (for profit) with less at a time when the less is becoming more.

[Jiggo]

Think they will just display a couple more 'Safety First' signs on site....think that is as far as safety go's....

[CapeThai]

It sounds like the "Planning Department" is concerned with safety. That's good news, but these things need to be caught by inspectors before they happen. That's real safety.

You have a better chance getting pregnant than inspectors doing safety checks around here...

[Tanlic]

Good to see the Cambodians are learning something from their Thai counterparts.....slacken a bolt or 2 here one there and Bingo we got an extra weeks work out the job putting it back up again

[Swiss1960]

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Reading the full article might help before posting BS rumours and allegations....

"It was confirmed by officials that the construction company possessed the correct permits to build the high tower and the correct safety procedures and insurances are in place to offer protection to workers who are injured. The three Cambodian laborers possessed work permits"

[joepattaya1961]

Cheap labor, cheap materials, cheap tools, cheap....cheap condos and other accommodation.........that's what "we" are looking for, isn't it?

[biplanebluey]

They were using old bamboo, that will teach them. How long is bamboo scaffold good for 15 or 20 years ?

I do wish you guys would read the OP before just jumping in with stupid replys

Other workers were able to escape being injured by the falling metal poles.--FALLING METAL POLES OK?

[Cgs1965]

Never ceases to amaze me when guys try and apply western standards to a third world country.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Cgs1965

[Yann55]

It's common knowledge that 90% of the unskilled labour working on construction sites around here is from neigbouring countries.

When they die, as it happens often on construction sites with poor safety standards (in spite of the 'safety first' posts that are stuck here and there for show), the locals don't give a damn.

Even the poorer Thais from Esarn or the North don't want to work for such low salaries and in such dangerous conditions.

Whether the construction companies manage to somehow get them work permits and if yes, how they pull the trick is beyond my knowledge, but what I do know is that they are grossly underpaid, badly treated, put up in incredibly squalid shacks on the outskirts of the city and transported like cattle in trucks that go through the city morning and evening - a shocking sight.

However, the would-be Thai bashers who are ready to come up with their usual 'this is Thainess' comments, ought to be reminded that the practise of using labour from poorer countries is universal. Most of the roads and buildings in Europe and the States were (and still are) built by immigrants who are often illegal but somehow 'protected' by their employers. The latter are international giants in their field and seem able to pull some very strange strings in our oh-so-clean and oh-so-not-banana-republic countries.

[apalink_thailand]

Never ceases to amaze me when guys try and apply western standards to a third world country.

I work in a 3rd world country and although its like pulling teeth, we continue to push western safety standards on them. If management fully buys into a safety program, it can work anywhere. I have also witnessed Western 1st world construction companies practice some pretty horrible safety standards too.

[balo]

Actually not many Thais are construction workers in Pattaya, from my experience most of them comes from Cambodia and Laos. Cheap labour are being used by even the most "exclusive" developers here. The thai bosses are forcing them to work from early morning until late, usually the whole family is living nearby the construction sites. I've even seen small kids playing inside the dangerous area during daytime.

[Billy The Kid]

Bursting their <deleted> for 300 bt a day at construction site is unreal . Dolers/giro should count themselves lucky to have better pay than them

[lvr181]

If the consumer demands/wants cheap, then the supplier will provide. Are you, the consumer, interested in why the product is cheap? Generally speaking I think not.

The working conditions of many Thai building sites is only the tip of the iceberg of what goes on in the world.

I am of the "old school" which believes that quality is more important than cost. In this throw away world of ours, quality is becoming harder to find, unfortunately.

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Reading the full article might help before posting BS rumours and allegations.... alt=1zgarz5.gif>

"It was confirmed by officials that the construction company possessed the correct permits to build the high tower and the correct safety procedures and insurances are in place to offer protection to workers who are injured. The three Cambodian laborers possessed work permits"

So if everything was perfect , why was their an accident.? And if you want some real BS keep going on about Insurances for protecting workers'. You have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about

[Swiss1960]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Reading the full article might help before posting BS rumours and allegations.... alt=1zgarz5.gif>

"It was confirmed by officials that the construction company possessed the correct permits to build the high tower and the correct safety procedures and insurances are in place to offer protection to workers who are injured. The three Cambodian laborers possessed work permits"

So if everything was perfect , why was their an accident.? And if you want some real BS keep going on about Insurances for protecting workers'. You have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about

1) I was quoting the article that outlines that officials (which ever they are) said that the correct safety procedures are in place. Now that in itself does NOT prevent accidents, otherwise there would probably never be any accidents on any European building site... accidents happen but procedures must be followed (i.e. by the workers) in order to prevent accidents

2) I was again quoting the article with regards to the insurance policies and only if you are involved with the investigation or maybe an officer with the building company, you can write that it is bullshit...

but since already your statement about the cambodians not being here legal was proven wrong in the article... i wonder who is talking bullshit... and I am talking about exactly this specific incident and not any others that may or may not have happend with different circumstance.

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

"Cambodian workers" Wonder if they were legal ?

When you use cheap foreign labour they usually have no recourse to the law so incidents like this , which should result in Stop work order for weeks, will be brushed under the carpet and the site working again in days

I'll say it again , You have to start hitting Companies hard in the pocket for this sort of thing. Once you make it more expensive to kill someone that it is to finish the job late , there will be a change until then forget it. Life is cheap and Bunging a Laotian, Bangladeshi, Cambodia family 5k USD because there son/ father has died on site is the norm

Reading the full article might help before posting BS rumours and allegations.... alt=1zgarz5.gif>

"It was confirmed by officials that the construction company possessed the correct permits to build the high tower and the correct safety procedures and insurances are in place to offer protection to workers who are injured. The three Cambodian laborers possessed work permits"

So if everything was perfect , why was their an accident.? And if you want some real BS keep going on about Insurances for protecting workers'. You have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about

1) I was quoting the article that outlines that officials (which ever they are) said that the correct safety procedures are in place. Now that in itself does NOT prevent accidents, otherwise there would probably never be any accidents on any European building site... accidents happen but procedures must be followed (i.e. by the workers) in order to prevent accidents

2) I was again quoting the article with regards to the insurance policies and only if you are involved with the investigation or maybe an officer with the building company, you can write that it is bullshit...

but since already your statement about the cambodians not being here legal was proven wrong in the article... i wonder who is talking bullshit... and I am talking about exactly this specific incident and not any others that may or may not have happend with different circumstance.

Wonder if they were legal ? is the exact quote and I'll admit I am surprised that they are, which also brings me to doubt the report/ article. Im not involved in this one but have been involved in several Railway project incident reports and investigations in Malaysia /China and Taiwan.mainly to try and cover the companies at fault, no embarrassing facts to the client .. Massive loss of face for construction companies if the workers are illegal but it happens all the time , 8 illegal workers killed in Malaysia track project in the last 3 years. I find many safety professionals in Asia just make noises , when they a chance to hammer a company for negligence they back off so as not to rock the boat and put their ex-pat salary at risk. Thats probably why I snapped at you a bit , I dont believe many incident reports I read here , they are normally a load of &lt;deleted&gt; covering the company