Stop-work order on Penang Hospital extension following fatal incident

 The Penang island city council says work can only resume after project officials explain how safety lapses will be dealt with.

A cement mixer driver died on Friday after he fell into an excavation at the site of an extension to the Penang general hospital.

GEORGE TOWN:

 A full stop-work order has been issued by the Penang Island city council on an extension to the Penang Hospital following the death of a cement mixer driver who fell into an excavation at the site on Friday.

The order was issued the next morning, city mayor Rajendran Anthony said. No work is allowed to proceed until the council is satisfied that corrective safety measures are in place.

Earlier today, the department of occupational safety and health issued a prohibition order on the supply of ready-mix concrete to the site, and restricted access to the concrete batching plant while investigations take place.

Rajendran said the city council must wait for the department’s findings before making any decision on whether to lift its own stop-work order.

He said the council is awaiting a written explanation on what steps will be taken by project officials to improve safety at the site. “Once we receive the response, we will inspect the site again and impose additional conditions if needed,” he told FMT.

The extension project for the general hospital involves construction of a 14-storey tower block containing a five-storey car park, specialist clinics on 11 floors and patient wards on the top three floors.

The project began last year, with completion scheduled for May 2029. - FMT