BAM Construction Company Falls Short of Safety Target with Fatal Bridge Collapse

22 Feb 2024 at 13:08

Construction company BAM did not achieve its own stricter safety target last year. The number of accidents decreased, but according to the company’s own figures it was still too high. Two people were killed on Wednesday when a bridge section that BAM was working on collapsed.

BAM wanted the number of employee accidents per million hours worked to not exceed three by 2023. The construction company did not achieve that goal. Last year it had 3.4 accidents per million hours worked.

The company does make a comment on these measurements. The calculation only concerns accidents that prevented staff from working for at least one working day. But according to BAM, things sometimes go wrong without resulting in lost working days. As a result, serious accidents are not always included.

BAM writes that it took extra safety measures last year. In the Netherlands, specific attention was paid to “high-risk type incidents” such as collisions or falls from great heights.

“All efforts are aimed at achieving the target,” said a spokesperson. BAM could not be reached again for a response. The company told the ANP news agency that the target was not achieved last year due to “accidents that occur unexpectedly and unexpectedly”.

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Drone films fallen bridge section the day after a fatal accident in Lochem

Several people died in construction accidents

On Wednesday something went wrong at a bridge under construction in Lochem, Gelderland. A bridge section collapsed during towing work. Two people were killed and two people were injured.

BAM said it learned of the accident with “great sadness”. The company has not yet said anything about possible employee involvement.

In April last year, a BAM employee died in a serious accident. It concerned the operator of a construction crane who collided with a freight train near Voorschoten. This also caused a passenger train to derail on the adjacent track, injuring a number of passengers.

The number of serious accidents at BAM last year was 64, compared to 63 last year. At BAM, an accident is considered serious if the victim has to stay in hospital for more than 24 hours, or if, for example, there are broken bones or electrocution.

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Image: ANP

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2024-02-22 12:08:00


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