Two workers were killed today (Monday), and another worker was moderately injured, as a result of a scaffolding that collapsed at noon at a construction site on Harkat Street in Givat Ze’ev beyond the Green Line.
It is a 9-story building where work was done on the outer wall, and according to estimates, the scaffolding collapsed on the workers who were under it. As a result, five of them were injured, two of them as mentioned were captured, and later it was reported that two workers were rescued without a soul.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear, and the identity of the workers is not yet known. Also, no additional information has yet been provided regarding responsibility for the accident.
The scene of the accident on Harkat Street in Givat Ze’ev / Photo: National Fire and Rescue Authority
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MDA’s report indicates that at 12:04 a report was received at Moked 101 in the Jerusalem area about some scaffolding that collapsed at a construction site on Rakfat Street in Givat Ze’ev. MDA added that “it is about scaffolding that collapsed on an external wall of the building. MDA medics and paramedics are providing treatment Medical for five wounded, three of whom were rescued in mild to moderate condition.”
Globes monitoring shows that so far this year, 33 workers have been killed in construction accidents, including those killed today. A week ago Liu Tsong, a Chinese citizen, fell from a scaffolding in the “Gil Kata” project in Petah Tikva and later died of his injuries. In 2021, 36 workers were killed.
The scene of the accident on Harkat Street in Givat Ze’ev / Photo: National Fire and Rescue Authority
The auditor’s report: only 5% of the fines for safety violations were paid
Last May, a State Comptroller’s report was published, from which it emerged that in 2020-2021, a total of 64 workers were killed on construction sites in Israel, 32 each year on average. Moreover, between 2018-2020 the financial sanctions imposed on entrepreneurs whose construction sites were registered for safety violations amounted to NIS 42.7 million, but only 5% of them (NIS 2.1 million) were paid.
As mentioned, the cause of the accident is not yet clear, but at the beginning of March, regulations came into effect requiring all scaffolding scaffolding in Israel to comply with the European standard. This was preceded by a long saga. In fact, the regulations were approved more than three years earlier, on January 1, 2019, after long discussions during which the Histadrut threatened to shut down the economy if the regulations were not passed.
The regulations establish an obligation to use upright scaffolding that complies with the provisions of the Israeli standard for scaffolding (standard 1139 part 1), which were adopted from the binding European standard. They allegedly entered into force during the month of July 2020, but in practice their entry into force was also repeatedly postponed.
The scene of the accident on Harkat Street in Givat Ze’ev / Photo: National Fire and Rescue Authority
“The address for the accident was on the wall”
Attorney Israel Essel, the legal advisor of the Forum for the Prevention of Work Accidents, said: “A serious incident occurred today in Givat Ze’ev in Jerusalem: two workers were killed, and four others were injured, in the collapse of a system of upright scaffolding that was installed on an exterior wall of a building under construction.
“The writing for this accident was on the wall: an identical accident occurred on April 22, 2019 at a construction site in Haifa, and in this accident one 30-year-old worker was killed. A similar accident occurred on November 6, 2018, when a scaffolding system collapsed at a construction site in Petah Tikva; and there were other incidents .
“It seems that no lesson has been learned from the past cases, and no regulatory actions have been taken by the Occupational Safety Administration to prevent similar accidents, and workers continue to be killed on construction sites: since the beginning of the year, 68 workers have been killed in work accidents, of which 34 are workers in the construction and infrastructure industry.”
The Givat Ze’ev council responded: “Today at approximately 12:00 a report was received of an incident of scaffolding collapse in a new project of a private entrepreneur within the boundaries of the Givat Ze’ev local council. As soon as the notice was received, the local council together with the security forces and the rescue forces are busy locating, rescuing and treating the victims .
“Up to this moment, unfortunately, there are two dead, an injured person in moderate condition who was taken to the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, and anxiety victims who were treated on the spot. Since there is a possible danger of another collapse, the event is still in progress, and under the guidance of the head of the council, all the council’s teams are there to provide support and assistance as needed.”
The police spokeswoman said: “Many police forces along with emergency and rescue agencies, including the IDF, are currently continuing rescue operations of those trapped at the construction site in Givat Ze’ev. In addition, the police forces block the traffic routes in order to allow evacuation and the arrival of additional forces if necessary.
“Deputy Commander of the Jerusalem District, National Guard Danny Levy, arrived at the scene and conducted a situation assessment together with representatives of all the forces operating at the site, while directing the preservation of the safety of the various forces, the exhaustion of initial investigative operations and a strict search for the location of all the victims and workers at the site.
“At the same time, the police investigators began examining and collecting evidence and findings at the scene, at the same time as representatives of the Ministry of Labor are making their way to the scene to investigate the case.
“So far, the medical officials have evacuated a moderately injured person (according to their determination), and several others have been treated at the scene.
“We ask the curious public not to approach the arena and obey the instructions of the police officers at the perimeter blockades.”
The Labor Safety Administration stated: “Today a serious accident occurred in Givat Ze’ev, across the green line – an area that is within the area of responsibility of the police. The incident occurred as a result of scaffolding collapsing from a great height in high-rise buildings. As of this hour, we know of several workers who were injured to varying degrees and two Workers who were killed. We share in the grief of the families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
“As we know, the safety laws at work do not apply beyond the green line, and therefore handling and enforcement are in the hands of the police. At the same time, the safety administration inspectors arrived at the scene to professionally assist the police in the difficult incident, and will continue to be at the disposal of the police in order to help draw lessons and reach the conclusion of the law with those responsible. The suspicion that was investigated It failed to stabilize the scaffolding that collapsed on the site.”