More than 70 killed in scaffolding collapse in China

A tragic accident at a cooling tower at Fengcheng power plant in Yichun City has resulted in the death of more than 70 workers.

The accident which occurred in November happened early in the morning when a scaffolding tower, which had been erected around the inside of a cooling tower, collapsed unexpectedly. Images shared online of the accident showed scenes of utter devastation.

Almost all of the individuals working in the tower at the time of the incident were killed. A rescue mission was launched on a huge scale which involved 32 fire engines and over 212 military personnel attending the accident.

Following the accident the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, ordered an investigation into the collapse and stated that those responsible should be held accountable. Although very little information has been publically released about the cause of the accident it is known that since his announcement, nine people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Sadly, industrial accidents are all-too-common in China and although this latest accident is possibly the worst they have experienced in recent years, it serves as yet another reminder that safety standards need to be improved in the country.

At Simian we are committed to raising health and safety standards in the scaffolding industry on a worldwide scale. It is the prevention of tragic accidents just like this one that drives much of the work we do. We know that through professional training, sharing knowledge and raising awareness of health and safety improvements can be made.

It is too early at this stage to comment on exactly what happened in this particular incident, but sadly it is yet another reminder that there is still a great deal of work to be done to improve standards and prevent accidents in many parts of the world.