Indonesian worker falls to death, 2 others injured
New Straits Times Online, 11 April 2014
GEORGE TOWN: A 42-year-old Indonesian construction worker fell to his death, and two other foreigners were injured, when the wooden platform they were working on at the 22nd floor of a condominium here gave away.
The incident took place at 9.30am as the three workers were cementing the exterior wall of the 31-storey condominium in Jalan Cantonment here.
The three victims fell to the eighth floor of the condominium.
The dead worker was identified as Dermilan from Sulawesi and has been working in Malaysia for 20 years.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Bagan Jermal Fire and Rescue Department chief A. Ravi said the three workers were doing wall plastering and tiling prior to the incident.
"Our investigations showed the wooden plank the trio were working on snapped due to overload.
"They fell through the scaffolding," Ravi said adding that the trio landed on the eighth floor and suffered bodily and head injuries.
Ravi said the other two workers, identified as an Indonesian and a Myanmar national, remained in critical condition at Penang Hospital.
Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) issued a stop-work order on the construction until further notice.
Pulau Tikus assemblyman Yap Soo Huey said the MPPP Building Department would conduct investigations into work-safety features at the site.
The Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) had combed the scene to determine if the builder had met safety regulations for his workers.
Checks indicated that the victims did not have any harnessing or hard hats before the mishap.
