The rise of construction related accidents in Malaysia has reached an alarming level. According to the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), there has been 117 accident cases since 2012, involving 87 deaths. This year alone there were eight reported incidents including the recent KL Eco City disaster.

The Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM) urges an immediate overhaul of current regulations governing construction site safety and raises questions on effective monitoring of construction safety standards including the material used.

What punishment was imposed on previous accidents is unknown and what action will be taken on this one, is again, everyone’s guess. Will the stop-work order slapped on this construction company be lifted as the dust settles?

Loss of lives when it is avoidable is deeply saddening. It is unjustified to risk the wellbeing of workers, likewise, it is unacceptable to expose innocent people to severe risk. The mere thought of safety-related accidents is chilling, and yet, unfortunate events continue to be on the rise. It is worth asking if our construction safety standards and monitoring mechanism are being compromised?

It is agreed that competitiveness is a fundamental aspect of sustainable growth but the rising number of construction related incidents raise major questions over business priorities, especially on projects which are exposed to the masses. The repercussion of the latest incident would have been far worse if this pedestrian bridge would have collapsed when fully operational and accessible to public.

Rigid and stringent safety standards are imperative. It is indeed worrying if our developers and contractors are compromising on construction standards to facilitate rapid developments. Several incidents have taken place in a short span of time, some of which have dangered the lives of consumers.

The looming question is if concrete actions is being taken by respective regulatory authorities and if yes it must be transparently communicated to the masses. Stringent checks must also be made on all similar development projects to ensure construction and safety standards are met.

Needless to say, construction site safety is a share responsibility amongst stakeholders within the project perimeters, especially of the developers and contractors. Developers and contractors must appreciate the fact that if standards are compromised, it may have fatal consequences. On the other hand, authorities must ensure that regulations are enforces strictly. Losses are detrimental, be it to people or infrastructure.

Therefore it may be time to explore the basics again.

DARSHAN SINGH DHILLON is president, Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM).