Datuk Fadillah Yusof
KUCHING: The Works Ministry will probe the collapsed ramp at the Batu Maung Interchange Section of the Second Penang Bridge although the jurisdiction comes under the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH).
Its minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof said senior officers and experts from his ministry were now investigating whether the incident was due to negligence or failure to comply with Safety Operating Procedures (SOP).
“At the ministry’s level, we already have officers on the ground to look at the overall process. There is SOP for the contractor the follow.
“We will assess whether the SOP has been adhered to even though it is not the ministry’s jurisdiction to look into the incident. DOSH will take some time to complete the investigation,” he told journalists when met at the Sarawak Grand Timber and Small Medium Enterprises Expo 2013 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching here yesterday.
Fadillah explained that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) was responsible for producing skilled workers to implement various projects in the country.
He added that the ministry would find out whether skilled personnel had been engaged in the bridge project in Penang.
To a question, Fadillah said all the ministry could do was focus on training skilled personnel and ensuring that contractors adhere to the SOP.
“When you talk about action, it comes only after an incident has happened. Therefore, it is more important to make sure that all parties involved in a project follow the SOP.”
The ramp collapsed at about 7pm on Thursday.
DOSH told a news portal that the collapse could be due to the failure of the formwork support.
Formwork refers to a temporary or permanent mould in which concrete or similar material is poured into.
DOSH is now investigating the SOP of the project.
Investigation is expected to take about a month to complete.