Durban's 2010 stadium unsafe

2007-08-27 22:48

Sne Makhaya

Peitermaritzburg - Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium, expected to host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup semi-finals, might miss the deadline for its completion as Labour Department officials on Monday issued prohibition notices that immediately halted activities on the construction site.

The companies working on the site have two months in which to conform to safety standards.

Labour deputy director-general Siyanda Zondeki on Monday took a delegation to the site and found that it was unsafe for workers. Machinery on site was in such a poor condition that it did not conform to SABS safety standards.

Also, most of the apparatus in use did not have registration papers as required.

Zondeki said after her visit: "The construction industry shouldn't be chasing profits and deadlines at the expense of workmen's lives."

In consequence of the delegation's visit, an electrical crane and a welding machine have to be replaced as they endanger the lives of workers.

Also, workers in the three zones of the construction site were forced to down tools due to "unfavourable conditions".

Zondeki said it is "unacceptable" that workmen were not using safety harnesses when climbing scaffolds, which she described as a "rampant" contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

This malpractice claimed 16 lives out of the 76 accidents recorded within the construction industry between April 2006 and July 2007.

There will be strict site inspections until construction management at the stadium adheres to the set requirements.

Site manager Dunkin Craig told The Witness on Monday afternoon that he was not aware of the department's findings and refused to comment further on the possible two-month delay that might affect deadlines. He did not deny the possibility, either.

- The Witness