One person died last week when scaffolding collapsed during the construction of a pair of high-rise buildings in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The collapse left several construction workers hanging from what appear to be either ropes or cables about 500 feet above the ground, according to the Daily Mirror.
The scaffolding has connected two 33-story buildings under construction.
WATCH: São Paulo construction workers hang in for fear life following some kind of scaffold collapse #saopaulo pic.twitter.com/yg9MCF1Dx9
— UpToDate (@UpToDateNewsSvc) October 18, 2023
Footage posted to X showed the men holding on after the collapse. Overall, eight men were forced to dangle in the air waiting for a rescue.
Witness Lidiane Dias said the workers were rescued after “a few minutes” through the use of a crane at the construction site.
“The noise was very loud, a lot of things fell. The structure came down. We couldn’t see where the debris fell because it was inside the construction site,” Dias said.
One worker died. It was unclear whether the worker fell or was killed when falling debris landed.
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Authorities responded to the accident with 10 fire engines and a police helicopter.
Eztec, the company in charge of the project, responded to the accident with a statement that was posted by vertikal.net.
“As reported, last Tuesday afternoon (10/17), an accident occurred at the construction site of one of our projects that, unfortunately, killed a worker from one of our contractors. An irreparable loss that we all mourn very much,” the statement said.
“The accident also involved eight outsourced workers who were rescued safely and are now with their respective families,” the statement said.
“We know that a scenario like this also has the potential to impact all our employees — especially the members of the teams allocated to the works we have in progress — and stakeholders who are linked to the company’s day-to-day operations,” the statement said.
“With this in mind, in addition to the support that we and our partners are providing to those involved, we are also carrying out internal actions with the operational teams in order to reflect on the event and reinforce our premises for work safety, especially in relation to our contractors,” the statement said.
The statement said the company was “collaborating extensively with the competent authorities.”
“The incident has thrown Brazil’s construction safety standards into sharp relief. A nation in the throes of rapid urban development, Brazil has been haunted by a series of construction accidents. Inadequate safety measures, lax enforcement, and dangerous working conditions have painted a grim picture of an industry pushing its workers to the brink,” Nimrah Khatoon wrote on BNN.
“The São Paulo incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need for improved safety standards. It underscores the importance of training, regular inspections, equipment maintenance, and a culture of safety prioritization. The industry must ensure that the price of urbanization is not paid in human lives,” Khatoon wrote.
