DOLE MOVE ON AIRPORT TERMINAL PROJECT
Address the unsafe workplace issues and comply with the labor requirements.
Acting Director Cyril Ticao of the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) gave these conditions for the labor department to lift its work stoppage order on the construction work of the new Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal (MCIA) 2.
“We will only lift the work stoppage order once all noted unsafe practices exposing the workers to imminent danger shall have been addressed and all requirements complied (with),” Ticlao said in an interview yesterday.
The new airport terminal 2 project is scheduled to be completed in June 2018.
Ticao ordered the construction of MCIA Terminal 2 to stop after a worker died during an accident last Friday at the worksite.
Adolfo Flores, a helper for RCK Reydel Construction, died after an air compressor fell on him during a lifting activity while using a tower crane on Friday afternoon.
Based on the investigation of the Labor Laws Compliance Officers (LLCOs) on Saturday, a substandard lifting sling was used, which could have caused the accident.
The Work Stoppage Order was issued on Sunday to Megawide-GMR Infrastructure Singapore PTE. LTD. Joint Venture and Megawide Construction Corp.; RCK Reydel Construction Corp.; and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 Construction Project.
RCK Reydel Construction Corp. is a subcontractor of Megawide-GMR Infrastructure.
The Occupational Safety and Health Investigation conducted by DOLE representatives showed that there was no safety officer present at the work area where the incident happened.
“Had there been a safety practitioner or safety officer present at that time, then there could have been someone in authority who would be able to guide the workers to do their job correctly,” Ticao said.
Due to this incident, Ticao recommended the revocation of the accreditation of all safety practitioners and safety officers who have not religiously done their job.
In the case of what happened at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 Construction Project, he said, it was clear that there was lapse in judgment and negligence on the part of the management more particularly on its safety practitioner and safety officer.
The Labor Department also found deficiencies in the work area: lack of accredited safety practitioners; no safety officers for all subcontractors; no standard rigging procedure; no standard lifting procedure; no safety orientation for all operations supervisors and construction workers; inappropriate or substandard lifting devices used for lifting activities; and no Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) license presented for all contractors and subcontractors except for Megawide-GMR Infrastructure Singapore PTE. LTD. Joint Venture and Megawide Construction Corp.
The labor officers also found violations on the General Labor Standards, which included nonpayment of overtime premium and no proof of coverage and remittance of SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG of the workers.
In a statement, RCK Builders, said they had assured the victim’s family of extending assistance to them. These included shouldering the hospital bill, fare of the victim’s family from Masbate to Cebu, wake expenses and burial.
The Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) also said that their building official had already conducted an inspection of the work site.
“Our MCIAA Building Official already conducted inspections yesterday (Monday) and found that GMCAC has complied with the DOLE requirements.
We are sad that the incident happened. We assure the public that MCIAA will closely monitor any construction activity in the airport to avoid similar incident to happen in the future,” said lawyer Glenn Napuli, assistant general manager of the MCIA, in a statement.