COMMENT | It was May 28, 2009, to be exact. Renovations were underway at the Jaya Supermarket building in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, when a sudden rumble hours later left seven workers dead.

Initial investigations suggested that overloaded heavy machinery caused the collapse. Authorities had failed to account for the weight of the equipment during demolition, and the roof, unable to bear the excess load, gave way.

Notably, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) had not approved the demolition work. The developers only secured permission from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) - a local authority with no mandate on workplace safety.

A year later, two companies faced...