Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Two Romanian and Moldovan workers suffered injuries at a Hasselt construction site along Koning Boudewijnlaan this morning, as one faced fatal danger and the other received serious injuries. A scaffolding at the construction site collapsed, which sent the 2 workers dropping 14 meters down.
A scaffolding collapse at the Koning Boudewijnlaan construction site in Hasselt severely injured two workers when it happened this morning. One worker faced life-threatening conditions, while the other received minor injuries. The accident happened at 11 a.m. at a construction site that was developing a new residential tower containing student accommodations. Preliminary investigations conducted by the Labor Inspectorate operators revealed that the construction scaffolding failed because it exceeded its load capacity.
The incident involved two scaffolding workers whose ages were 23 and 39. Both workers were Romanian and Moldovan, respectively. They fell from about 14 meters up. The incident triggered an emergency response from police forces fire brigade units and ambulance teams. Further inspection of the site now progresses with authorization from authorities.
“They were standing at the top of the scaffolding at the time of the collapse and fell about 14 meters down. One of them is in mortal danger, the other was slightly injured,”
says Mark Moens of the Labor Auditorate. Windows were also broken and bricks fell down.
The Labour Inspectorate has now completed its investigation on site and released the site.
“They have determined that the cause is most likely overloading of the scaffolding, possibly with bricks to build a facade,”
Moens adds.
“We deeply regret this accident. It could be one of the possible causes,”
says Jill Haex, internal prevention advisor at construction company Haex, which is coordinating the work on the site.
“Our internal investigation is ongoing. For this, we are working with the scaffolding builder and the subcontractor for whom the injured construction workers work. We are keeping our view as broad as possible and are investigating all the factors that played a role.”
Haex emphasizes that there is a strong focus on safety.
“Of course we have internal procedures to prevent such accidents. Within Haex we are strongly committed to the safety of our own people as well as subcontractor personnel.”
“This morning, an external employee was already on site to meet with everyone present. Our attention is initially focused on the affected employees and their state of health. In the coming days, we will regularly check in with our people. They can always contact our own confidential advisor or external services,”
says Haex.
The workers who were still present were allowed to go home or to their accommodation around 12:45. The labour inspectorate closed the site for a while for its investigation, but has since released it.
“They will now continue working with the research data they have collected,”
Moens concludes.
What are the safety concerns in Belgium’s construction industry?
The construction sector in Belgium ranks as one of the danger zones for employees because accidents occur routinely in work environments. Statistics from the Belgian Federal Public Service for Employment, Labor, and Social Dialogue show that construction sites contributed to 22% of workplace fatal incidents in 2022 although the workforce consists of only 7% personnel in this sector. Workers who fall from heights experience serious injuries and deaths primarily because of dangerous situations such as the 14-meter drop in Hasselt.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) identifies scaffolding failure as the cause of approximately 15% of all fall-related deaths that occur in EU construction sites.
Labour inspectors in Flanders documented more than 1,200 safety violations during 2023, and improper scaffolding load regulation constantly appeared to be a problematic issue. The Koning Boudewijnlaan project, which experienced the collapse, serves as a symbol of risks associated with fast construction work on urban developments because it received a €25 million budget for student housing construction.
The strict ALO (Accident Prevention on Construction Sites) regulations in Belgium establish mandatory scaffolding inspection requirements, but these guidelines become challenging to follow because of the wide use of subcontracting methods on construction sites. The pair of workers represents a wider issue affecting migrant labour safety because foreign workers encounter increased accident risks that reach 30%, according to KU Leuven research conducted in 2023.
