Contractor to Be Blacklisted in Case of Fatal Accidents: Delhi’s New Safety Guidelines for Construction Sites

The Delhi government on Tuesday issued new safety guidelines for construction sites and said a contractor will be blacklisted in case of an accident resulting in loss of life while administrative action will be initiated against those responsible as well.

The guidelines also state that failure to clear construction and demolition waste from work sites should result in a “tax of Rs 5 lakh compensation to the contractor for each default notwithstanding any other action as per the terms of the contract”.

The new safety guidelines follow two fatalities at separate Public Works Administration (PWD) construction sites here.

A worker was electrocuted while working in a building under construction in the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital premises here earlier this month. On 30 June, an auto rickshaw got stuck in a ditch filled with water near Waziarabad. When the driver got out of the car to pull it out of the ditch, he sank.

In a circular, the Delhi government said that there should be adequate barriers so that entry to the construction site can be prohibited to the general public and the chances of any unwanted incident are completely mitigated. The contractor must also ensure that waterlogging does not occur.

The circular states that “in the event of any accident resulting in loss of life at the construction site due to the lack of a safety protocol, the contractor must be blacklisted, an FIR is filed and administrative proceedings are initiated against the responsible engineer.” Issued by the Special Secretary for Persons with Disabilities, Shashanka Ala.

“The site engineers involved must ensure that the information board and barriers are always kept intact and there are no gaps in the barriers which could be dangerous to the general public/traffic.

“The construction site should have barricades, with appropriate signage and information on the project in progress, with clear identification of the project name, estimated cost, estimated project start and completion date, contractor’s name and contact number, name and contact number of the site engineer and supervising engineer and line number Assistance and contact details in case any citizen has to register any complaint/grievance and traffic police helpline numbers.”

The guidelines also require the site engineer to ensure that there are guards, lighting, fencing, fire extinguishers, proper drainage on site, and protective equipment for workers at all times.

He also stated that there should be proper washing facilities with proper drainage systems.

It added, “All awarded works costing more than Rs. 1 crore must have a safety engineer on site whose primary responsibility is to ensure safety on site.”

The guidelines also state that the engineer responsible for each work must regularly inspect the site to ensure that all safety protocols are being followed. She explained that in the event of any violation of the safety protocol, the contractor must be informed and the work should be stopped if necessary.

The contractor may not proceed with work unless all safety protocols are adhered to, the guidance document indicated, adding that all engineers responsible for the works must issue incidental notices to the contractor specifying the nature of the safety breach and the proposed compensation.

It also requested the engineer in charge to notify the management of any death or even major or minor injury at the site.

The guidelines also outline measures for the removal of construction and demolition waste and state that it must be removed from the site in less than 48 hours and must be scientifically disposed of at the designated sites of the Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The circular added that no final bill will be liquidated until and unless the work site is delivered in a clean condition.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)