Workers allegedly used as weights in failed lift test

An accident in which 11 men were allegedly used as human weights to test a lift from the 45th floor is being blamed on the lift contractor.

The incident occurred last Friday at the Abraj Al Lulu site in Bahrain which is being developed by the Pearl Development and Real Estate Company.
The lift contractor for the project is JA Zayani and Sons.

According to sources quoted in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), the men were ordered into the lift against their will to act as human weights as it was manually lowered.

The accident occurred when the lift slipped from the second floor. The 11 men were taken to hospital for shock and minor injuries, the report said.

Pranay Thakkar, a director of client representative Dadabhai Construction, told Construction Week that they accept no responsibility for the incident and that it is still under investigation.

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“Whatever has been printed by GDN is baseless because it was human error and the company, which is installing the lifts, is responsible for this error,” he said.

“What sources they are quoting, God knows. It is not the lift supplier, it is not the client representative and it is not the contractor. So I don’t know what it is –

maybe a labourer or hearsay – that is what they’re relying on.

“If you want an official version and correct version it will take a few days.”

Thakkar said the company is planning to take legal action against GDN for false reporting.

The GDN journalist who wrote the story told CW that she stands by the article and her sources.

The Labour Ministry’s occupational health and safety unit is also investigating the incident.

The accident follows a string of recent work-site fatalities in Bahrain, which this month led to a government promise to set up a national occupational safety authority.

The exact number of workplace deaths in Bahrain this year is still unknown but could be as high as 20, based on media reports.

Last month the Labour Ministry promised CW they would release workplace accident statistics to the public, but have so far not been forthcoming.

The Abraj Al Lulu has two 50-storey towers and a 40-storey tower. The main contractor for the project is Al Hamad Construction and Development  Company.