DOLE finds Megaworld liable in QC accident

A construction firm may face possible sanctions for a crane accident that killed a construction worker and injured another in Libis, Quezon City earlier this week, the Department of Labor and Employment said Saturday. The DOLE said in a statement it found possible safety lapses at the worksite of Eastwood Le Grand Tower 2, where the accident occurred. “DOLE’s investigation of the accident showed that the Megaworld Properties construction project has no approved construction safety and health program," DOLE’s National Capital Region regional director Raymundo Agravante said. “The project has also no accredited safety officer, registered nurse, or even existing contract with an emergency health provider," he added. As of this posting, GMA News Online was still trying to reach Megaworld Corp. for comment. Killed in the accident last July 5 was Rozel Lotino, 29, who was working on the 19th floor of the building being constructed. Reports quoted police as saying Lotino was rushed to the Quirino Hospital but he eventually died. The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) said the incident “highlighted" the impunity in construction sites. Intensified campaign Meanwhile, the DOLE ordered an intensified occupational safety and health (OSH) campaign following the Quezon City accident. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz reminded the OSH Center to maximize its safety practitioners and safety training organizations in participating in the drive. Baldoz admitted that the DOLE already received instructions from President Benigno Aquino III after the “Eton incident" to make sure “no more fatal accidents happen." She was referring to an accident last January at a construction site in Makati City, where 10 workers fell to their deaths when an electric gondola malfunctioned. [See: 10 killed in Makati construction accident] "We need not relax. We have to be relentless in advocating and training for safety and health in all workplaces… not only in construction sites," Baldoz said. Baldoz also directed all DOLE regional offices and the Bureau of Working Conditions to enforce occupational health and safety standards as well as corrective safety and health measures to ensure that mishaps in construction workplaces are avoided and mitigated and that workers are well-protected. — JE, GMA News