Jakarta has been alarmed again by another collapse in a series of crane accidents that have recently taken place.
The accident happened at a girder launcher at the construction site of a quadruple track railway project in Matraman, East Jakarta. It collapsed at around 5 am on Sunday (Feb 4) local time, leaving four dead and five others injured.
It’s reported that two of the victims died on the spot while the other two died in hospital. According to project plan, the four-track railway project is expected to link Manggarai, Central Jakarta, to Cikarang, West Java.
The Transportation Ministry initiated the project while the execution was handled by state-owned construction firm Hutama Karya (HK). A statement released by the Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi revealed on Sunday that his side and the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) had recommended that the safety committee check the safety and serviceability of heavy equipment used in the construction project.
A series of accidents at infrastructure project sites in Jakarta and other parts of the country. The investigation results must be proven in writing, while the developer would be required to change equipment found not to meet standards.
A statement issued by Transportation Ministry's secretary-general, Sugihardjo, said all parties involved in construction projects should pay greater attention to safety. "We will continue to coordinate and support the investigation led by the Work Safety Committee, which is overseen by the Public Works and Housing Ministry," Sugihardjo said.
The first week of January saw six girder boxes at a toll road project connecting Depok, West Java, to the Antasari area in South Jakarta collapsed. No fatalities or injured victims were reported in that accident.
Two weeks later, a light rail transit (LRT) girder in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, collapsed, injuring five workers. The MRT project has not been free from accidents, with a 3-ton parapet on Jl. Wijaya II, South Jakarta, collapsing and hitting a motorcyclist in November.
The Indonesia Construction Safety and Health Expert Association chairman Lazuardi Nurdin said various factors had caused the accident, including mechanical issues and fatigue. "The accident was related to the equipment, the launcher. But it may have also been caused by human error. The accident happened over the weekend and during normal working hours, so fatigue may have been a factor," Lazuardi said.
2 of the victims were mashed died on the spot