Four construction managers have been sentenced to a month in prison for the neglect that led to a fatal accident on the site of a project to extend the sewage network in Sitra.
In December 2023, a trench collapsed on 31-year-old Indian worker Babu Boddu while he was in it, crushing him and causing severe internal bleeding, the court heard.
The High Criminal Court found the four Indian overseers – a site manager, a civil engineer, a supervisor and a safety officer – each partially responsible for the worker’s death.
They were convicted with the wrongful death of the late Mr Boddu, in addition to failing to guarantee his safety and not setting up barriers to prevent entry to hazardous zones on the site.
A 44-year-old site manager – the first defendant – was also charged with not following all required health and safety codes aimed at protecting workers from risks associated with excavation, including cave-ins.
The workers were on-site to execute an Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) contract to extend the sewage network, in order to support the construction and homes in the new area.
According to a Labour Ministry report about the tragedy, the trench was 2.8m deep and 1.8m wide, but its sides were not supported to prevent a possible cave-in.
The report stated that the victim was adjusting the geotextile fabric on the side of the tunnel when it fell on him, while workers were in the process of evening out the ground above.
Immediately following the collapse, the victim was taken to Sitra Health Centre, where he arrived without a heartbeat.
Doctors tried in vain to resuscitate him for an hour, but could not save him. An autopsy reported that the victim suffered physical trauma to the chest, which led to internal bleeding and tears in internal tissue.
Ministry inspectors found traces of a landslide on the site and noted that a great amount of soil and sand had fallen on Mr Boddu.
Another report, written by a safety inspector, declared the man’s death as a direct consequence of the neglect, stating that he was ‘trapped under the sand because safety protocols and codes were not followed’.
“The worker’s death is considered occupational, as he died during and because of the labour,” read the report. “Not all measures to prevent a collapse were taken, especially when it comes to providing trench boxes to hold the walls up, or conducting a gradual excavation, suitable to the type of soil on the site.
“Furthermore, labourers were allowed to work in the trench even though it was not equipped with the right safety equipment and precautions to bar them from entering dangerous zones were not taken.”
The four suspects denied all charges and each one testified in length and detail about the accident, claiming that they were working based on a health and safety plan approved by a site manager. The case had been brought over from the Lower Criminal Court due to recent amendments in criminal law.
Although they were convicted and jailed, the men will not be deported after competing their sentence.
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