News by Phuket Andaman Villas

Rainy season in Phuket brought higher awareness of people about landslide. Just nine days after new ‘health and safety’ work rules, the trench collapsed on Monday and killed Burmese laborer Min Hla Thein. The rule encouraging companies not to follow safety requirements as it laid down by law and company policy.

The construction industry should make sure to strong the walls to ensure the workers would not buried when they digging trenches. However the news of another landslide death should not come as surprise. Phuket’s safety record speaks by itself while last year foreman Thawisak Nukaeo and a laborer died in a bitter facth that they were building a retaining wall for an under construction resort Soi Sang Krasee off Nanai Road in Patong.

Another landslide had injured “Sorn” who escaped from death but treated in hospital for serious injuries. Three Burmese were injured by landslide on construction site in 50 Pi Road in 2008. In 2007 a landslide off Nanai Road left buildings are choking a Burmese laborer’ camp below and 18 months-child. Fortunately there is no killed victim in this incident. Earlier this month Orchidee Residences in Patong brought another record of landslide when a road construction in the hills crashes the building.

This week several tumbling stones hit Orchidee and its occupants again. After a year of public warnings, it leads to landslide preparedness exercise. One common victim over the years are definitely Phuket’s Burmese workers, the unsung heroes of island’s construction. Further contractors might exercise more caution, at least they can build retaining walls then get on with the rest of the work. The island’s developers and contractors will start doing this as a standard industry as it deserved to do after the matter of new regulations enforcement.

News by Phuket Gazette