The Consumer Council on Friday called on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and a construction company to pay compensation to those affected by a recent accident at an overpass at Bang Kapi intersection.
One worker was killed and two others injured when a 10-metre-long steel sheet crashed to the ground as it was being lifted by a crane at around 1.50am on Thursday.
The incident might have been caused by negligence on the part of the construction company, said Sopon Noorat, head of the council’s consumer rights protection section.
The foreman was reportedly not present when the incident occurred, he added.
Citing data from 2018, he said there have been 10 reports of similar accidents involving materials falling from overhead structures and causing damage and/or injuries.
For example, a beam from a pedestrian bridge collapsed on a road in the Rangsit area in 2018, while a bridge crossing Lam Nam Tuay collapsed in 2019. And in 2020, an overpass on the outer ring road in Nakhon Ratchasima collapsed in Ban Khok Sung village.
More recently, a 600-metre stretch of an elevated road on Luang Phaeng Road in Lat Krabang district of Bangkok suffered a similar collapse. Two people were killed and 12 injured in that incident.
“All those past incidents claimed many lives and caused widespread damage to property,” said Mr Sopon.
To prevent similar incidents from occurring, he urged the relevant agencies to work with construction experts to thoroughly check and regularly follow up on the progress of building projects.
The council also urged Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, the Public Works Department and the construction companies involved to take responsibility and provide suitable compensation to victims.
“Safety protocols must include workers on construction sites and their equipment,” Mr Sopon said. “Related agencies should urgently inspect all projects to prevent any such incidents from reoccurring.”
Following the Bang Kapi incident this week, the construction company in question has reportedly suspended the project and called all workers to attend a safety course to prevent any repeat incidents, a source said.