A CONSTRUCTION workers’ union has called for an urgent safety audit of the South Commuter Railway Project after a Filipino worker died at its Santa Rosa, Laguna segment.
The National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW) said the worker was killed in an accident at the construction site on the morning of Aug. 6, while a Chinese worker was also injured and hospitalized.
Initial reports raised questions over the condition, inspection and maintenance of the equipment involved, as well as worker training, supervision and safe access at the site, according to the union.
‘These circumstances demand an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation,’ NUBCW said in a joint statement with the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI).
The groups urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and other concerned agencies to investigate the incident and conduct an urgent review of safety conditions at the project.
NUBCW also sought accountability beyond those directly involved in the accident, saying authorities should determine responsibility ‘throughout the chain of responsibility.’
The union, however, did not specify the equipment involved or the circumstances that led to the worker’s death, and no official finding on the cause of the accident has been made public.
NUBCW said the worker’s family should immediately receive compensation, assistance and all benefits due, while the injured worker should be provided proper medical care and support.
‘A worker should never have to die just to earn a living,’ the group said.
The Santa Rosa segment forms part of the South Commuter Railway Project, the Alabang-Calamba section of the larger North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
The P73.25-billion South Commuter Railway covers three civil works contract packages involving railway viaducts and elevated stations in Alabang, Muntinlupa, San Pedro, Pacita, Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, Banlic and Calamba.
Once completed, the section will form part of the 147-kilometer NSCR system connecting Clark, Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna, one of the government’s flagship transportation projects.
The Aug. 6 incident places renewed attention on occupational safety at the project as construction continues across several sites in southern Metro Manila and Laguna.