Johannesburg - Construction was expected to resume on Wednesday at Kusile power station after Monday’s fatal accident.
A man died and two were admitted to hospital after the accident. He is the fourth person to die on the site since construction started.
Eskom said the injured were in a stable condition and that one of them was moved from ICU to a general ward. “We expect one of them to be released from hospital in a day or so,” the power utility said.
The three are employed by Eskom’s principal construction contractor, Stefanutti Stocks Basil Read Joint Venture.
Stefanutti Stocks, the lead company in the joint venture, referred all comment to Eskom. Eskom would not release the names of the victims.
“To date, this is the fourth fatality since 2007 at the beginning of the project. Kusile power station has one of the lowest injury rates for a project of this magnitude. The current injury rate is 0.09 percent,” said the power utility.
Eskom’s annual report notes that 223 employees and contractors have died in work-related accidents across the company in the 10 years to March this year.
Monday’s accident happened after a crane tipped over and fell onto a scaffolding platform.
“They were on the scaffolding,” said Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe, who visited the site on Tuesday.
He added that the first three units at the power station were in various stages of completion, so the accident was at a height the equivalent of three or four storeys of a building.
“After the incident, the Department of Labour was notified. It immediately dispatched an inspector to the scene. The inspector issued a restriction notice only on the area where the incident took place,” Eskom said, adding that normal operations were due to resume on Wednesday.
A parliamentary delegation visited Kusile on Tuesday, and were briefed on the accident. They included MPs from the portfolio committee on economic development and members of the National Council of Provinces from Mpumalanga.
Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown has called for an investigation.
“I have asked Eskom to investigate the matter fully and provide me with a report. Safety remains a priority at all sites, and Eskom must ensure that contractors adhere to the stringent safety guidelines.”
In October 2013, six contractors died and seven were injured in an accident in a tunnel on the construction site of the Ingula pumped storage power station.
Eskom said the inquiry had blamed that accident on human error.
“It appears that the primary cause of the accident was due to human error on the part of a single individual foreman, who, despite his training, knowledge and experience, failed to properly secure the gantry in the incline high-pressure shaft 3-4 in accordance with an established safe work procedure,” Eskom said.
“The task of moving the gantry in the IHPS 3-4 had been conducted without any incident for a period of approximately seven months prior to the accident,” said Eskom.
The Star