The Delhi government on Tuesday issued new safety guidelines for construction sites and said a contractor will be blacklisted in case of an accident leading to a loss of life while administrative action will be initiated against officials too.
The guidelines also state that failure to clear construction and demolition waste from work sites shall result in a “levy of Rs 5 lakh compensation on the contractor for each default apart from any other action as per contract clauses”.
The new safety guidelines come in the aftermath of two deaths at separate Public Works Department (PWD) construction sites here.
A labourer was electrocuted while working at an under-construction building on the premises of the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital here earlier this month. On June 30, an autorickshaw got stuck in a ditch filled with water near Waziarabad. When the driver got out of the vehicle to push it out of the ditch, he drowned.
In a circular, the Delhi government said there should be proper barricading so that the entry of the general public to the construction site could be prohibited and chances of any untoward incident could altogether be mitigated. The contractor has to also ensure no waterlogging.
“In case of any accident leading to a loss of life on the construction site due to lack of safety protocol, the contractor shall be blacklisted, an FIR shall be lodged and administrative action shall be initiated against the engineer in charge,” stated the circular issued by PWD Special Secretary Shashanka Ala.
“Site Engineers concerned shall ensure that the information board and barricading are always kept intact and there are no gaps in barricading that could potentially be dangerous to the general public/ traffic.
“There shall be barricading of the construction site, having proper signages and information of the project in progress, clearly specifying the name of the project, estimated cost, estimated project start and completion date, name and contact number of the contractor, Name and contact number of the site engineer and supervising engineer, helpline number and contact details in case any citizen has to register any complaint/grievance and helpline numbers of traffic police,” it said.
The guidelines also mandate the site engineer to ensure there are adequate guards, illumination, fencing, fire extinguishers, proper drainage at the site and protective gear for workers at all times.
It also said that there should be adequate washing facilities with proper drainage systems.
“All awarded works costing more than Rs 1 crore shall have a safety engineer on site whose primary responsibility is to ensure safety on site,” it added.
The guidelines also mandate that the engineer in charge of every work must inspect the site regularly to ensure that all all-safety protocols are followed. In case of any violation of safety protocol, the contractor shall be informed and work will be stopped if needed, it said.
The contractor shall not proceed with the work unless all the safety protocols are adhered to, the guideline document noted, adding that all engineers in charge of works shall issue show-cause notices to the contractor specifying the nature of the safety violation and the compensation proposed.
It also asked the engineer in charge to notify the department about any fatality or even a major or minor injury at the site.
The guidelines also list out the measures for the removal of construction and demolition waste and stated that it should be removed from the site in less than 48 hours and must be disposed of scientifically in designated sites of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
No final bill shall be cleared until and unless the work site is handed over in a clean condition, the circular added.
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