Quezon City Hall resumes elevator construction 

The Department of Labor and Employment – National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) has lifted the work stoppage order (WSO) imposed against the contractor of the Quezon City (QC) Hall’s “scenic elevator project” after appropriate occupational safety measures have been implemented, according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

In a report submitted to Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and released on Monday, DOLE-NCR director Sarah Buena Mirasol said the order the WSO was lifted on Aug. 31 after project s contractor MRBII Construction Corporation addressed their violations.

DOLE-NCR labor inspectors conducted occupational safety and health (OSH) investigation on Aug. 18, a day after the accident at the QC Hall’s Civic Buildings A and B that killed one construction worker and injured three others.

They noted that construction activities are held after QC Hall’s office hours.

Investigation showed that the four workers were situated at the excavation site of the structure to be demolished and were caught right under the collapsed wall.

“The primary cause of the accident is the poor structural provision of the existing wall which upon demolition eventually collapsed, affecting four workers and fatally affecting one [of them],” Mirasol said in the report.

The labor inspection team also found out that the contractor had no demolition Construction Safety and Health Program (CSHP), hence the WSO.

MRBII attended DOLE mandatory conferences on Aug. 24, 29 and 30.

It submitted proofs such as photos of construction works; full satisfaction of financial assistance to injured workers, including funeral and airfare expenses of the deceased worker’s family; payment of wages to the victims during implementation of WSO; and approved copy of the demolition CSHP.

On Aug. 30, DOLE-NCR likewise conducted a verification inspection to ensure that the appropriate occupational safety measures were applied, such as provision of temporary structure to avoid another accident and adoption of the demolition project methodologies indicated in the firm’s approved CHSP.

The QC Hall engineering department, according to the DOLE-NCR report, will prepare a corresponding city ordinance for strict observation and compliance on occupational safety and health of all construction projects that will be procured by their local government.

The report said right after the incident, the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMO) took Rachel Erezo to a hospital, together with other Erwin Ramos, Joshua Garcia and Christian Manposte.

Unfortunately, he suffered a fatal head injury, causing his immediate death, while the trio sustained minor leg injuries.

“Mr. Rachel Erezo was trapped under the collapsed wall and his body was retrieved at around 11:51 p.m. by the rescuers of the Bureau of Fire Protection and QCDRRMO. Based on the initial report, a part of the wall of the building collapsed where the private contractor was supposed to place a scenic elevator,” it added.

The construction firm assured financial aid to the victims, including Erezo’s bereaved family.

It also promised the immediate deployment of Ramos, Garcia and Manposte to other projects as soon as they are medically cleared.