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14 people were killed and another 28 were injured when scaffolding collapsed in central Vietnam. It is unsure whether there were still others trapped within the rubble. More than 40 Vietnamese subcontractors were on the scaffolding cleaning a frame for a giant concrete block that was to be used for breakwater. A survivor said about an hour after they started working the scaffolding shook twice, causing workers to panic and to run for the elevator. After being reassured that everything was okay they continued working. About 10 minutes later the 20 meter high scaffolding began to collapse. Ha Tinh General Hospital reports they treated 19 workers, 15 of which were in serious condition.
A collapse such as this should be of concern to anyone in the business. It is important to find out what happened so that it will not happen again. This could have been caused by faulty equipment, or it could just have easily been caused by lack of knowledge of the proper way to construct the scaffolding. In New Zealand, we have very strict rules as to the proper installation and use of scaffolding with added safety features. It also helps having the highest quality of scaffolding equipment. Though some may find this tedious at the onset, in the end it helps prevent a catastrophe such as this and the expenses of an investigation, ACC and medical attention. Add to that the down time the company will face as they try to replace injured workers and lost reputation. It is important to have safety regulations in place, not only for the health and safety of your workers - but also your business!
