Alcatel denies allegation of work safety violation
Alcatel denies allegation of work safety violation
JAKARTA (JP): The Alcatel Cable company asserted its
compliance with work safety standards and refuted any suggestion
that the death of four workers in a telephone cable manhole in
West Jakarta on Wednesday was caused by safety negligence.
"The people working for our company observe safety rules and
technical specifications," Alcatel Cable's resident manager R.
Meljac said yesterday.
Meljac went on to state that the manhole in which the workers
were drowned was constructed two months ago according to the
proper technical specifications.
The tragic incident occurred when five men from the Alcatel
Cable company descended down a three meter deep manhole on Jl.
Pinangsia, Tamansari, West Jakarta, to repair a faulty telephone
line.
Though the West Jakarta police precinct has still not
determined the exact cause, it is presumed that the manhole was
flooded when the decaying walls separating an adjacent waste
water duct crumbled.
In a panic, the five men tried to rush up the ladder which
soon broke in the commotion.
Of the five men who went in only Naseh, 30, survived while the
others -- Tedi Wahyudi, 18, Zainal Abidin, 30, Arsyad, 37, and
Taufik bin Memet, 25, -- were trapped in the six square meter
manhole.
Naseh is reportedly still in critical condition at the Husada
hospital in West Jakarta.
According to Meljac, a security guard standing beside the
manhole who tried to rescue the trapped men was also among the
victims.
"We are investigating the cause of the accident in close
cooperation with the authorities," said Meljac, adding that
"these authorities are the only ones entitled persons to release
any conclusions."
Suara Pembaruan reported yesterday that the North Jakarta
telecommunications office yesterday denied any responsibility for
the accident.
The manhole, which is designed to store thousands of telephone
lines for the North Jakarta office, was still under the
management of Alcatel Cable and thus this French company was
obligated to take full responsibility.
Referring to the victims of the accident, Meljac has stated
that the families will receive all necessary support from Alcatel
Cable. (mds)