CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has stepped up its focus on workplace safety by conducting a special awareness programme for personnel involved in Phase-II construction works, amid the possible risks associated with large-scale Metro infrastructure projects. Around 200 engineers, supervisors and foremen from CMRL, general consultants and Phase-II contractors participated.
The programme focused on preventing accidents, identifying unsafe practices and working conditions, complying with statutory safety requirements, adopting safe systems of work, and ensuring effective supervision at construction sites.
In February, a 23-year-old construction worker from Jharkhand, L Soray Ganjhu, died after falling from an elevated structure near Arcot Road in Valasaravakkam. Reports said he fell from a height of around 50 feet while working on the Phase-II corridor. Officials subsequently examined whether mandatory protective equipment, including safety harnesses and safety nets, had been provided and used.
Another serious accident occurred in August last year near Sholinganallur, where two workers fell from an elevated structure during a load-testing operation. Bikee Paswan (23) died, while fellow worker Santosh Lohara suffered serious injuries and was hospitalised. Reports said the accident occurred after a cable or rope associated with the testing equipment failed.
In June, a 43-year-old motorcyclist, C Ramesh, was killed near Manapakkam when two large I-girders from an under-construction structure collapsed onto the road. CMRL subsequently ordered an internal inquiry and a safety audit. The agency later imposed a Rs 1 crore penalty on the contractor after its inquiry held the contractor primarily responsible for the safety lapse.
There have also been accidents involving workers during earlier phases of the Phase-II project. In June 2022, 45-year-old contract worker K Ravi died after soil caved in while he was working in a deep pit at a Metro construction site in Medavakkam. Police registered a case in connection with the incident and booked three persons for alleged negligence.
The latest safety programme therefore comes against a backdrop of repeated construction-related accidents, reinforcing the need for strict monitoring at every stage of Metro works. “With construction continuing across several parts of Chennai, adherence to safety procedures will remain critical not only for protecting workers but also for ensuring the safety of motorists, pedestrians and residents living close to construction sites,” said a CMRL official.