Unsafe conditions created by the practices of the original contractor of Summerfield Shopping Centre were the cause of the construction site wall collapse on 28 February, leaving eight Gothic Construction employees injured.
This according to an investigation conducted by Gothic Construction Company, led by the company’s health and safety manager Gerhard Potgieter.
Potgieter said the conditions could not have been foreseen by the construction site team.
With the conditions now known, changes to the method of work on tasks will be adjusted by the Gothic Construction company to make provision – should similar conditions exist in other parts of the centre, which will also be demolished.
According to Potgieter, other facades of the centre have been examined externally and it appears that the same conditions do not exist in the rest of the centre. He informed that the possibility of this has been communicated to the owners of the centre.
The findings from the investigation were submitted to interested parties as well as the Department of Labour. Input from the structural engineer on the project as well as the Master Builder’s Association was also given during the investigation.
Potgieter said Gothic Construction would like to reiterate that they consider the safety of all their workers on sites as paramount.
“We continue to participate in structures promoting health and safety in the construction industry and strive for zero harm in all our endeavours.
