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Friday, March 29, 2024

Firms in wall accident closed

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SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga —The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shut down the operations of two companies held responsible for the death of 12 people and injuries to five others when a wall of a warehouse under construction collapsed in Guiguinto, Bulacan last Monday, a senior official.

DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione said Number One Golden Dragon Realty and Hoclim Co Construction will be held liable for the violations committed and they will not be allowed to reopen unless they meet certain requirements.

“Based on the ocular inspection at the accident site by our team, they found out that it was the right side wall of the warehouse under construction that collapsed near the quarters of the workers. The wall was seven meters high and 20 meters wide,” Dione said.

The casualties were mostly construction workers but a pregnant woman and a seven-year-old boy inside the quarters were also killed when the wall collapsed at about 3 p.m. The Department of Trade and Industry has conducted an investigation on the quality of the materials used by the contractor.

Municipal officials assured the families the two companies will shoulder all the expenses incurred by the families in attending to the dead and injured. They will also face sanctions for various violations of the law.

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Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the two companies were found to have operated without a permit and for employing child labor, which carry maximum fine of up to P1 million and up to 20 years imprisonment.

“The DOLE regional office has completed its accident investigation and has issued a cease and desist order against the construction company. The findings include lack of an approved Construction Safety and Health Program,” Baldoz said.

She said investigators also found out that “one of the workers who died in the accident, Edmond Bernabe, a construction hand, was only 14 years old.”

Baldoz instructed regional officials to ensure that the families get all the benefits such as unpaid salaries, social security benefits, and other monetary claims.

She said the cease and desist order will stay until the presence of imminent danger was removed and the company has complied with all the requirements as a result of the investigation such as submission of a Revised Work Procedure for Vertical Construction.

Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz said the accident should serve as wake up call for the construction industry and local government units, which should monitor construction work in their areas of jurisdictions.

“Wake up call din ito sa amin para paigtingin namin ang mga building inspections namin sa mga tinatayong gusali sa aming bayan na nakakaranas ng construction boom ng ibat-ibang kalse ng industriya,” Cruz said.

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