Metro resumes work

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Over 1/3 of the 32 metro rail work sites that were briefly thrown out of gear following Wednesday’s fatal mishap at the work site near Pachaiyappa’s College, were back buzzing with activity Friday evening. Construction works involving heavy machinery like cranes, concrete placing boom, cutters and crab piling rigs used for exploring earth for diaphragm walls re-started in eight station sites after a “third party” certified the machinery ‘fit’.

SEED (safety and environment education for development), a private body approved by the state government to assesses and certify the machinery, completed its assessment and certified 45 per cent of the machines used for CMRL works across the city as fit, chief general manager (construction) of CMRL V. Somasundaram said. Full-fledged construction activity resumed in the eight metro work sites by Friday afternoon, he pointed out, exuding confidence that certification of the remaining machinery would be completed before Saturday evening.

May Day Park, Saidapet, Washermenpet and Government Omandurar Estate, among the underground work sites, and track-laying on Vadapalani-Koyambedu elevated corridor were among areas where works resumed after SEED certified the machinery there.

Even on Thursday, only works involving mechanical equipment was stopped in many places while concreting, cutting and shuttering works continued. Works came to a halt in a few metro station work sites where machinery was vital, metro officials reasoned. Construction activity would be on in full swing in all 32 work sites by mid-Sunday, the officials asserted.

The chief safety expert of the project, who began his probe into Wednesday’s work site tragedy that claimed one worker’s life and injured six other workers, would table his report with CMRL Saturday evening. While the safety audit, which began on Thursday, proceeded briskly at all work sites, workers were spotted wearing additional safety gears and resorting to optimum caution, unlike in the past.

The following features should be scrutinised during safety audit
* Presence of first aid box in all work sites

* Appointment of an onsite doctor to attend to medical emergencies at works sites.

* A valid third party certification should be obtained before operating the machinery.

* A method statement approval that is a certification of operators or technicians knowledge of the equipment should be obtained before putting them to use.

* A safety instruction meet of workers should be held before commencing work at the site daily.

* Provision of safety gear to all workers is mandatory. Utilisation of the safety gear would be thoroughly checked.