DOSH: Collapse due to failure of formwork support
By Opalyn Mok
GEORGE TOWN, June 7 — The collapse of the ramp at the Batu Maung Interchange section of the Second Penang Bridge could be due to the failure of the formwork support, said the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH).
Penang DOSH director Mohd Anuar Embi said early investigations by its team had found that this was the cause of the collapse of the ramp.
Formwork is a term for a temporary or permanent mould in which concrete or similar materials are poured.
He said DOSH was now investigating the safety operating procedures of the project.
“Our team of investigating officers arrived at the scene last night to conduct investigations into this incident but for now we have to give way to the rescue work first,” he said at a press conference at the site this morning.
He said this was a high-risk work and DOSH will investigate if all safety measures were taken.
“If we have evidence that no proper safety measures were taken, we will take court action against the contractor,” he said.
Yesterday at about 7pm, a 40m section of the ramp collapsed, injuring three people and burying a car underneath.
Rescue work to remove at least one victim buried in the rubble work is still ongoing as cranes and hydraulic cutters are being used to clear the hundreds of tonnes of concrete.
Mohd Anuar said DOSH will commence full investigations into the incident once the rescue work was completed.
“All the support for the formwork is supposed to be done on good engineering practices and this collapse could also be due to design failure or maintenance failure,” he said.
DOSH will take between one to two months to complete a full investigation into the incident.
