Three deadly accidents in a single week have left four construction workers dead and three others seriously injured at the construction site of the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower project in Hanoi, raising concerns about labour safety on the project.

“The project has been suspended for investigation of the cause of the accidents and compliance of the project with labour safety regulations,” said the deputy chief inspector of the Hanoi Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Xuan Ky.

Ha Jong Suk, chairman of Keangnam-Vina Ltd Co, the project developer, blamed the accidents on the negligence of contractors, including Construction Joint Stock Company No.1 and the Hoa Binh Construction and Real Estate Trading Joint Stock Co.

Ha accused the companies of paying insufficient attention to labour safety and said that, if the workers had worn safety harnesses, nothing would have happened.

Construction on the project had been temporarily suspended following the accidents to inspect labour safety practices, he said.
Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs director Nguyen Dinh Duc confirmed that investigations were underway, including an inquiry into possible criminal liability.

Dao Van Ho, the deputy head of the legal department of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said a decree on penalties for violators of labour safety laws was being drafted and, when approved, would give authorities more effective enforcement measures.
Serious violations of workers safety regulations would result in not only administrative penalties but also revocation of the employer’s business licence, Ho said. The right to inspect workplaces would also be extended to People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities.

The draft decree on labour safety violations would be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration within the next few months, he said./.