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Time to approach the worksite mishaps problem differently

I am fed up of further talk on worksite mishaps - accidents due to collapsing/falling structures, cranes or piling machines. I think it is futile to talk about the lack of training, the hiring of unqualified operators or the poor condition/maintenance of equipment. Since when are most accidents not caused by one of these factors?

Why talk about causes after an accident has occurred? My questions to all those responsible are as follows:

First, how did untrained and uncertified personnel get to operate one of those sophisticated and dangerous machines?

Second, who are responsible for the proper functioning and maintenance of those machines?

Third, how often and how stringent do the regulating and certifying authorities check on the conditions of the machines and the qualifications of the operators involved?

Fourth, who monitor the health conditions and working hours of operators?

Each time a mishap occurs, we just go after those lowly paid operators who may not even know what they are getting into. But what about site engineers, the owners of equipment, site supervisors, safety officers, the owner of the project, and the regulating authorities? Where are their roles and responsibility?

We treat safety with contempt because we do not value the lives of others. Money seems able to settle everything, from compensating the victims to settling with the long arms of the authorities. There is hardly any other punitive action taken against those responsible.

I think it is time to approach the problem differently. We should charge the site supervisor, the equipment owner and the owner of the project for using substandard equipment and for hiring unqualified personnel to handle the equipment. In addition to that, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) should prosecute its own officers for failing to highlight unqualified crane handlers or substandard equipment being used at the site.

Don’t just indulge in endless talk when we are incapable of doing anything worthwhile.

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