Warning about unsafe labor at construction sites

(Baonghean) - In recent years, the demand for infrastructure and housing construction has increased, and as a result, the freelance construction profession has developed strongly and is considered an easy profession to make a living. Worryingly, the issue of labor safety for freelance construction workers is being neglected...

Danger is near

We came to one of the 3-storey houses under construction in the Tecco planning area - hamlet 18, Nghi Phu (Vinh city), the workers were working at a height of tens of meters without any protective gear.

To get to their work place, in addition to climbing several flights of stairs without railings, they also had to climb a ladder made roughly of thin wooden planks. Yet the workers still moved, mixed mortar, and built walls as usual. Materials were transported up by winch with two wooden poles tied together and precariously planted on the wall.

Construction workers working at heights do not have any protective equipment (photo taken at a housing construction site in hamlet 13, Nghi Phu commune).

Mr. Le Van Ha - a construction worker residing in Phuc Tho commune (Nghi Loc) said: "The first days I started working, I was also very scared, but after working for a long time, I got used to it and now I am not afraid of heights anymore. Most of us became construction assistants, few of us have gone through proper schooling. This is a dangerous job, we can only remind ourselves and each other to be careful at work."

At another construction site, a worker carries a long wooden beam from one end of a newly built wall to the other like a circus performer “balancing on a tightrope”. On the formwork floor, countless pieces of nailed boards are scattered around. Standing on the 4th floor of this house, looking out, one can see that the surroundings are like a large construction site: houses are being built, some are having their roofs poured, some are having their walls plastered… Some workers stand precariously on wooden scaffolding.

A worker added: “Working at heights without being equipped with protective gear, newbies are a bit scared, but we have been working for a long time so we are used to it. Having iron scaffolding is more reassuring, but moving it is heavy and it takes a lot of time to disassemble and assemble. That is why contractors always use wooden scaffolding to reduce costs and transportation costs.”

Floating management

In recent years, in many localities in the province, the speed of housing infrastructure development has been rapid, many workers have chosen to work as construction workers to make a living. For large, reputable construction companies, the signing of labor contracts as well as the hiring of workers is transparent. Workers must meet a number of strict requirements set by the company to be able to sign a contract, along with a labor insurance regime. Meanwhile, private contractors hire seasonal workers and do not require anything other than skills, without labor contracts and accompanying regimes.

Currently, some freelance construction teams are set up by private contractors, with about a dozen people, depending on the project. Normally, private construction projects today are under very strict contracts. The homeowner creates the construction site and provides materials. The contractor is responsible for the quality of the project, the construction progress, and all issues of labor safety. The contract is like that, but the reality is completely different.

Construction workers are hardly equipped with protective gear.

Mr. Tran Van Tho - a contractor in Nghi Duc commune (Vinh city) said: "Currently, freelance construction teams are springing up like mushrooms, so competition is quite high. Therefore, we are forced to take on many projects at the same time to have income. Workers in teams like ours are often acquaintances or relatives. When working, we often tell each other to be careful to avoid accidents, but it is difficult to take care of issues related to labor safety. In more than 10 years of working in this profession, my construction team has not had any serious accidents. When constructing housing projects in Vinh city, I often see the order teams from wards and communes come to supervise whether the construction is in accordance with the planning and design or not, but I have never seen them check on labor safety protection."

Although there are no specific statistics on work accidents for freelance construction workers, in reality there have been many accidents in this group of jobs, some causing minor injuries, some causing disability or even death.

From this situation, it can be seen that to overcome the risks of occupational accidents for freelance workers, first of all, it is necessary for the project owners and construction contractors to be proactive in complying with the law and State regulations in the construction sector; improving the quality of construction works, ensuring absolute occupational safety during the construction process until completion and putting into use. In addition, functional agencies and local authorities also need to promote their roles and responsibilities in inspecting and supervising occupational safety for local housing construction works.

Minh Quan