8 years to guidelines, construction safety enforcement fails
A Bangladeshi worker was taken to ADK Hospital after a metal rod that fell from a construction site speared him in the head.
By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
ADK Hospital expressed deep concern on Wednesday regarding the lack of safety measures undertaken during construction even when Maldives National Association of Construction Industry (MACI) has had regulatory measures established eight years ago.
A 34-year-old Bangladeshi worker was taken to ADK Hospital on 17 September after a metal rod that fell from the sixth floor of a building under construction in Male speared the worker in the head.
Speaking at the press conference Wednesday morning, Managing Director of ADK Hospital Ahmed Afaal said one of the reasons why they were able to save the man's life was because the metal rod had not injured any of his vital organs. However, he pointed that such luck would not be granted every time and that the safety and security of those working on construction sites should be given high priority.
"It has been eight years since MACI, which is part of the Maldivian construction industry, established safety standards and instructed all contractors and workers to implement it. But we are not being careful about these things," Afaal said.
He said that treating a trauma patient and saving his life was not the end of it.
"When such things happen to a person, his career, income, productivity and contribution to the community is lost. But there are many things we can do to prevent this from happening," he said.
Afaal reiterated his call for all safety rules and guidelines established at the international and national levels to be adhered to and followed. He also advised to find out ways to improve safety of risky jobs such as construction, and to implement updated safety guidelines.
"My advice to the leaders of the construction industry is to prioritise protecting the lives of their employees, upon whose backs livelihoods are made," he said.
ADK conducted a nine-hour surgery to save the man's life. After treating him for two days in a medically induced coma, ADK doctors said he would be able to recover his mobility without any major problems in the future.
While the injured man has been in the hospital for 11 days now, ADK showed reporters a video recording made with the patient’s consent showing him walking by himself.
