Worker killed after 10m fall

JAKARTA (JP): A construction worker died yesterday after falling from 10-meter-high scaffolding at a hotel construction site in South Jakarta, bringing this year's death toll to 101.

The number of deaths has already equaled last year's toll for all victims of work-related accidents.

The worker in the latest accident was identified as Edi Suparman, 31, of Jl. PLN at Duren Tiga, South Jakarta.

A staffer at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue quoted police officers as saying that Edi was working at the Park Lane hotel construction site on Jl. Casablanca.

It was believed that he was using inadequate safety gear and slipped off the scaffolding.

"I didn't notice any bleeding on his body but he must have fallen head first," an assistant to forensic doctors, Bambang H.P., said, adding that Edi had suffered severe head injuries.

A man came to the morgue claiming to be the project supervisor and wanting to claim the body, but morgue staff refused to release the body as the man was neither a family member nor a relative.

He also threatened reporters who wanted to take his picture when he came to identify the worker's body.

Nelce, a woman who admitted being the head of the neighborhood where Edi resided, later came to the morgue to claim the body.

She said that Edi's supervisor had persuaded her to go to the morgue.

"He came to my house with Edi's wife, Irah, and asked me to clear the administrative needs and remove the body as soon as possible," she said.

However, she did not explain further or identify the developer that employed Edi.

Edi was the second construction worker to die this week.

Khafidz, a tower crane operator, died on Monday when the crane's cab plunged 70 meters to the ground.

It is believed that the accident was caused by a damaged crane axis.

Khafidz was employed by PT Sumicon, the developer of the Sentral Mutiara building in Mega Kuningan, near yesterday's accident site.

At least 10 construction workers die in work-related accidents every month in the capital. Most of the deaths were caused by poor safety systems and controls. (04)