Construction contractors held over worker deaths

A contractor and subcontractor overseeing construction of a tower where two workers fell to their deaths face charges of negligence leading to death.

DUBAI // A contractor and subcontractor overseeing construction of a tower where two workers fell to their death on Tuesday have been detained and referred to Public Prosecution today, Dubai Police said.

The two workers, aged 24 and 27, died after the cradle they were working on fell from the 27th floor.

Colonel Ali Ghanem, the director of Bur Dubai Police Station, said the detained contractors faced charges of negligence leading to death.

“The scaffolding would only have collapsed if health and safety regulations were not followed, but the exact cause is yet to be determined by Dubai Municipality,” said Col Ghanem.

According to officers and workers at the site, construction work was halted today to allow police to carry out their investigation.

“We are waiting for the police investigation and the company investigation to be complete,” said an anonymous source at the building site who witnessed the accident last week.

“The cradle was being used since morning and [the accident] happened towards the end of the shift.”

The cradle crashed 30 minutes before the workers’ shift was due to end.

“It was a mechanical failure, the boom is intact,” said the source. “The entire platform or cradle fell. Yes, the men were wearing safety belts and helmets but it came crashing down. They did not have a chance.”

The source also said the two men had been carrying out preparatory work required for the installation of glass panels on the building’s facade.

“There was no glass in the cradle with the men. They were not carrying any glass equipment with them,” the official said.