The Citizen reports that several construction workers have allegedly been killed and one badly injured in less than five months during the R2.2bn expansion of Fourways Mall, according to sources close to the situation.  

On Friday, a construction worker fell off scaffolding that was six to seven metres high and sustained serious head injuries.  Speaking on behalf of the construction company, Mota-Engil Construction SA (Mecsa), Joyce Ngwira said the injured man was a general worker who was breaking concrete on a contract basis.  “At the time of incident, the labourer was instructed not to access the structure due to it being under construction.  The incident is being investigated by Mecsa.  Our main concern is his recovery, and until the investigation is complete, we are unable to disclose further particulars of the cause of the incident,” said Ngwira.  The Citizen’s sources claimed at least four construction workers had died in accidents since October 2016.  Ngwira could only confirm two fatal incidents at the site since December 2015 and said all incidents had been reported to the relevant authorities.

• Read this report by Vicky Abraham in full at The Citizen
• See too, ‘Supervision can help avoid deaths’ in construction industry’, at Business Report

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page