Four face court over Dubai building deaths

Four construction workers are charged with negligence that led to the death of three workers who were killed when their scaffold collapsed.

DUBAI // Four men have been charged in court over the deaths of three building workers in a scaffold collapse.

The workers FA, MSH and MJ, died on January 21 after the scaffolding around a nine-storey residential tower in Dubailand collapsed in heavy wind and rain.

Two of them died immediately, while the third died after being taken to Rashid Hospital. Another eight people were injured in the accident.

The tower was being built by Al Qandeel Contracting.

Prosecutors told the Misdemeanours Court yesterday that BB, the health and safety officer at the site, failed to implement the necessary safety procedures.

They said MS, an engineer, failed to monitor whether such procedures were in place.

The court heard that AA, the head of construction at Al Qandeel, and AK, the head of construction at the site, had not supervised the workplace adequately.

All four men were charged with causing accidental death.

BB, 33, and MS, 59, both from India, and AK, 32, from Palestine, pleaded not guilty.

AA, 44, another Palestinian, failed to appear.

The case was adjourned to December 20.