XN000022-1972-11-28 — Page 4

Tuesday, November 28, 1972

BUILDING CONTRACTORS URGED TO ADOPT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

The Labour Department today strongly urged building contractors

to adopt precautions in regard to excavation of caisson shafts.

A department spokesman said that during August and September this

year, two accidents occurred on construction sites where excavation of

caisson shafts for foundation work had been carried on.

Investigation

In the first accident, he said, four workers died after being

overcome by a high concentration of an asphyxiating gas in a shaft.

revealed that there was no provision for emergency rescue on the site.

In the second accident, a worker received extensive burns on his

body when he attempted to drop a lighted piece of newspaper into a caisson

shaft to ascertain the presence of life supporting atmosphere. A flash

fire rushed up the shaft from underneath and inflicted the burns.

Investigation in this case revealed that some petrol was present

on the water at the bottom of the shaft and the petrol vapours gave rise

to the flash, he said.

The spokesman suggested that the following precautions be adopted:-

*

before entry is made, a shaft should be sufficiently

purged with forced draught to remove foul air or the possible presence of unknown gases;

* the person entering a shaft should wear a safety harness

which will enable him to be lifted out vertically in case

of emergency;

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