Bosses blamed for fire tragedy<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): West Java Governor R. Nuriana says he will
\nsummon the management of the Ramayana Department Store over the
\nfire safety system used in the building.<\/p>\n
\"The management must take responsibility for the tragedy,\" he
\nsaid here after receiving an official project list from Minister
\nof Health Suyudi yesterday.<\/p>\n
He called on businessmen to pay more attention to workplace
\nsafety for their employees. \"Human safety must come first,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Public buildings must be equipped with adequate fire safety
\ndevices, he said. \"The number of hydrants around the building
\nmust also be sufficient and they must have water.\"<\/p>\n
He said his office would take the necessary steps after the
\nfinal report from the fire investigation team was available.<\/p>\n
He said his office has set up a special team to probe the
\nfire, which according to the latest official count killed at
\nleast 10 people. Forensic teams from the National Police and Army
\nare involved in the probe.<\/p>\n
In a related development, architects said that any structures
\nof one or more stories in height must have more than one exit
\nwith clear signs to enable people to escape in case of
\nemergencies.<\/p>\n
Boy Birawa, a Jakarta-based architect, said that safety
\nfactors, including emergency exits, were usually made clear on
\nthe drawings submitted by developers or architects when applying
\nfor building permits. \"But, the construction of the buildings is
\nanother story as the officials who sign the building permits do
\nnot supervise the construction,\" he said. \"The building owners
\nusually want only one emergency exit for financial reasons after
\nthe building permit is in hand.\"<\/p>\n
\"According to the general rules, an exit and a stairway is to
\nbe constructed for every 30-meter segment of a building,\" Boy
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure the Pasar Kebon Kembang market building lacked the
\nabove safety system. Many shop buildings are prone to fire,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In a separate interview, the Director General of Industrial
\nRelations and Labor Standards at the Ministry of Manpower,
\nSuwarto, told Antara yesterday that the Ramayana Bogor fire
\nindicated that public awareness of the need for workplace safety
\nis still poor.<\/p>\n
\"When constructing multi-story structures people tend to
\nforget the importance of emergency exits,\" Suwarto said.<\/p>\n
He said there were strong indications that the Ramayana
\nDepartment Store at the Pasar Kebon Kembang market in Bogor which
\nwas swept by fire on Thursday was not equipped with fire safety
\ndevices, such as emergency stairs, smoke detectors, fire alarms,
\nand extinguishers. (17\/bas\/sur\/yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bosses-blamed-for-fire-tragedy-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}