CLA to crack down on violations of construction rules

"If a violation is a source of danger, we can shut the site down immediately until the problem is fixed."

Chiang Dai-cheng, deputy head of the Northern Labor Inspection Office

After a series of deadly accidents on construction sites in recent days, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has decided to step up work site inspections and to crack down on violations of safety rules in the run-up to Lunar New Year.

Council Labor Affairs Chairman Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said that more than 400 building site inspectors would be working overtime to make 14,000 inspections between yesterday and Lunar New Year to ensure that safety concerns are not disregarded in the frenzy to finish jobs before the holiday.

"It is unacceptable to bury five bodies because of accidents that could have been prevented," Lee said.

Lee referring to the deadly collapse at the Linkou work site of a Farglory Land Development project on Dec. 17.

He also mentioned a railroad construction worker in Nangang who was buried alive on Dec. 21 and another railroad construction worker who fell to his death on Dec. 23.

Responsibility workplace accidents will not stop with the subcontracting company, said Lin Chin-chi (林進基), head of the Department of Labor Inspection at the CLA.

"Those who are involved at every level will be liable under the Labor Safety and Health Law [勞工安全衛生法]. If signs of negligence are found, anyone, from the bottom to the very top, will be liable," Lin said.

Lin that in addition to the Labor Safety and Health Law, individuals whose negligence causes deadly accidents could be be held accountable under Article 276 of the Criminal Code.

Chiang Dai-cheng, (蔣代政), the Deputy head of the Northern Labor Inspection Office under the CLA, said that inspections are necessary because safety is a constantly evolving requirement at construction sites.

"The Farglory site was inspected prior to the accident," Chiang said. "But at that point in time the support structure that eventually fell had not yet been erected."

Chiang that "category one" building projects -- sites that are employing more than 300 workers or costing more than NT$100 million (US$3.06 million) -- are those that attract the most inspections.

"The most common violations are unsecured openings, lack of guardrails or safe means for workers to go up and down the work site," Chiang said. "For every rule they break, we can issue a fine of NT$120,000."

But the fine is not the most effective deterrent at the inspectors' disposal, Chiang said. "If a violation is a source of danger, we can shut the site down immediately until the problem is fixed."

"There's nothing they're more afraid of than that," he said.