On Tuesday, one pier head formwork at the Bekasi Cawang Kampung Melayu toll road construction project collapsed on Jl. DI Panjaitan in East Jakarta.
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KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO
A police tape seals the site of a construction accident on Jl. DI Panjaitan, East Jakarta, where the Bekasi Cawang Kampung Melayu toll road is being built. The forensic team of the National Police Criminal Investigation Department investigated the site, where a concrete pillar collapsed on Tuesday (20/2), injuring seven workers.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — In the past two months, construction accidents continued to happen. On Tuesday (20/2), one pier head formwork at the Bekasi Cawang Kampung Melayu (Becakayu) toll road construction project collapsed on Jl. DI Panjaitan in East Jakarta. Seven workers were injured, while was left in critical condition.
One of the injured workers being treated at UKI Hospital in Cawang, East Jakarta, said he and his fellow workers worked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. They took a break until 10 p.m. and then continued to work. That night, they worked on casting the concrete mold of the pier head when the scaffolding suddenly collapsed at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The cause of the accident was still being investigated.
Based on Public Works and Housing Ministry data, the accident at the Becakayu toll road construction site was the 14th construction accident in the past two years.
In Jakarta, in the past two months, there were at least four accidents related to the construction of elevated roads. Prior to the Becakayu toll road construction accident, on Feb. 4 a girder collapsed killing four workers at the quadruple track railway construction in Jatinegara, East Jakarta.
Similar accidents occurred at the construction site of the Depok-Antasari toll road project on Jan. 2. There were no casualties. Then, on Jan. 22 a light rapid transit (LRT) girder collapsed in Kayu Putih, East Jakarta, injuring five workers.
A big decision has been taken with the government halting all elevated road construction projects and bringing in an independent consultant team to carry out evaluation.
“All construction of elevated roads and bridges are halted temporarily. Meanwhile, the construction of all projects on the ground, such as concrete mold casting, road hardening or dam, can be continued,” Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said after meeting State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to discuss the construction accident in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Basuki said the collapse of concrete mold scaffolding at the Becakayu toll road project, and other construction accidents, were not accidents related to high-tech construction. In fact, construction work requires high accuracy and discipline.
The evaluation to be carried out will involve design, method of work, standard operation procedure, human resources, and equipment and supervisory consultants. The result of the evaluation will be reported to the Construction Safety Committee under the Public Works and Housing Ministry.
The committee will report or issue recommendations to the project owner, such as the Transportation Ministry or the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry. The input or recommendations will also include punishment to be given to all parties responsible for an accident, such as project head, supervisor, working unit and the director of the related institution. “This is an order by the President to temporarily halt [the projects] for evaluation,” Basuki said.
Indonesia Contractors Association chairman Budi Harto, who is also president director of state company Adhi Karya, was appointed to lead the independent consultant team that will evaluate the elevated construction projects. The team will start working immediately.
The Public Works and Housing Ministry construction safety committee collected documents and data related to the collapsed of formwork for the pier head. The scaffolding collapsed while workers were casting the concrete mold on top of it.
“The investigation will take time. We will also involve the laboratory for the evaluation. Which laboratory will work with us and how long it will work will surely affect the investigation process,” construction safety committee expert L. Sri Handono said.
State company Waskita Karya division III head Dono Parwoto said the collapsed scaffolding injured seven people working on top of it. “All injured workers are being treated at UKI Hospital in Cawang,” Dono said.
He emphasized that Waskita Karya had prioritized safety and security at work.
Working time evaluation
Waskita Karya operational II director N Wirya Adyana said his team would evaluate whether the current working system would be changed into a shift system. Currently, the working hours for the Becakayu construction project are divided into two shifts. “One shift covers eight hours, plus three to four hours for overtime,” Wirya said.
Indonesia Construction Working Safety and Health Experts Association cofounder Anas Zaini Iksan said the ideal work duration was eight hours, from morning to afternoon with 2 hours of overtime. “If overtime is extended, special permits need to be attained, as well as physical checks on workers,” Anas said.
Meanwhile, the duration of night work is ideally 4-6 hours, considering the body’s physiology.
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