At 9:00 AM on Wednesday morning, workers had just completed
construction of an industrial chimney and were dismantling the
63-meter-tall scaffolding when it collapsed, claiming the lives of
21.
Henan Province and Anyang city officials say that malpractice
and illegal deals between the owner, contractors and subcontractors
may be behind the tragic accident.
Henan Governor Li Chengyu said that the chimney was being built
for Xinyi, a subsidiary of the Ancai Group. The project was
illegally subcontracted to a builder with unknown
qualifications.
The No 7 Company of the Henan Construction Group was the
original contractor, but the project was secretly transferred to a
Beijing outfit. That company allegedly employed migrant workers
untrained in high-rise work.
"Improper operation at the construction site and the lack of
training of the workers caused the tragedy," a spokesman for the
municipal government of Anyang said earlier this week.
The scaffolding fell when more than 30 workers were dismantling
the steel framework beside the newly finished 68-meter-tall
chimney.
The scaffolding, used to lift construction materials, was
fastened to the ground with 16 ropes. Two ropes on the north side
were removed two days before the accident and undermined the
stability of the structure, the municipal government spokesman
said. The problem was exacerbated by steady rain during the two
days preceding the accident.
The steel frame tilted and pulled out a bolt at the foot, which
led to the crash of the entire structure.
"I was entangled in the framework when it began to fall toward
the northeast, and I was already on the ground before I could do
anything," survivor Zhao Aijun told the Beijing News. The
25-year-old Zhao suffered slight back injuries.
Zhao said he and his coworkers, not trained for high-rise work,
were told to remove the scaffold or they would not be paid for
previous work. China requires workers to be trained and certified
in such operations.
The workers were assigned to stand on the scaffold 2.5 meters
apart to pass down the steel pipes as they were removed.
Most of the workers on the upper part fell or were crushed to
death, while most workers below 10 meters survived.
As of Thursday afternoon, two of the ten hospitalized victims
were still in critical condition. Another five were considered out
of risk of death despite serious injuries to the head, chest and
other bones.
Local media said police have taken 14 people into custody,
including personnel from the Beijing construction company and a
Zhengzhou-based company, and Xinyi. However, Anyang police refused
to comment.
Nationwide, a total of 1,512 people were killed in 1,278
construction site accidents in 2003, up 17.0 percent and 5.8
percent, respectively, from 2002, the Ministry of Construction
reported.
Three to ten people were killed in each of 48 accidents,
compared with 51 in the previous year. Three accidents, two more
than in 2002, each killed more than 10.
However, the country's construction safety situation was
generally stable in 2003.
(China Daily May 14, 2004)