BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan requested concerned agencies and offices of the local government to closely monitor on-going construction activities around the city to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that will result to the loss of lives and inflict serious damage to properties just like what happened to the excavation works along Sandico Street in Salud Mitra barangay last week.
The local chief executive said that offices of the Department of Public works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office 9BCDEO) and the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to remind contractors implementing various horizontal and vertical projects around the city to provide safety structures in their workplaces to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents, especially during the daily afternoon rains, that will compromise the safety of life and property.
Earlier, a huge landslide buried the shanty of a contractor along Sandico Street in Salud Mitra barangay that caused the untimely death of the contractor’s project engineer and human resource officer who were taking a break in the barracks of the company within the project site.
Domogan claimed that it is the lookout of the contractors to provide for the needed mitigating measures in their excavation sites, especially with the occurrence of the daily afternoon rains, because the soil and rock formations would be heavily induced that could result to the landslides putting to risk life and limb in the construction sites.
“We have to make source that project implementers should provide for the appropriate safety and mitigating measures in their project sites to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that will compromise the safety of life and limb. We want our contractors to make sure that their construction sites will not be affected by natural and man-made calamities that will compromise the welfare of the general public,” Domogan stressed.
He added that another dangerous site which he was able to identify is the on-going construction and excavation along Leonard Wood Road wherein the contractor must be reminded to install the sufficient mitigating measures to prevent the occurrence of landslides or the possible caving in of excavated portions of their project sites putting to risk not only their workers but also the people living around the dangerous areas.
While it is true that contractors post bonds in the implementation of excavation and construction sites, he explained that the bond might not be sufficient to answer for whatever damages that accidents may pose to life and limb that is why contractors have the obligation to observe safety precautions through the installation of the needed mitigating measures in their project areas primarily for safety and security purposes.
Aside from the4 confiscation of their bonds, he claimed that contractors will also be charged for their violations of existing laws, rules and regulations governing the implementation of their projects once the ocular inspections to be conducted by the concerned offices will uncover their lapses in the conduct of their business and the implementation of their awarded projects.
By Dexter A. See
