Work accident
A Belgian worker died on Wednesday when part of a bridge under construction in Lochem, Netherlands, collapsed. The man worked for crane company Aertssen, which had a large crane on the site. The two injured people are also Belgians.
“We are deeply shocked by the tragic accident in Lochem in which one of the regretted fatalities is an employee of our company,” said the company spokesperson a day after the accident. “Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims. We are fully cooperating with the investigation.” The company does not want to make any further announcements about the accident “to maintain the serenity” of the investigation.
The future Nettelhorster bridge that will cross the Twente Canal was due to be partly assembled last Wednesday. Aertssen Group from Stabroek was present on the site with a large crane to lift the bridge arch. But just before eleven o’clock on Wednesday morning things went wrong. When one of the gigantic arches was lifted, a cable may have snapped, causing the structure to fall. In addition to the Belgian victim, a Polish worker also died.
Judicial investigation
Two Belgian men were also injured in the bridge accident in Lochem, in the east of the Netherlands. The Dutch labor inspectorate reported this on Thursday. One of them had a serious fall on Wednesday and was seriously injured, but out of danger. The other is slightly injured and will soon be released from the hospital.
Aertssen is a Belgian construction company with various departments. One of those divisions specializes in supplying cranes and hoisting or moving large and heavy objects. According to BAM, the company building the Nettelhorster Bridge in Lochem, Aertssen was engaged for assembly work at the site.
The Dutch labor inspectorate has now started a judicial investigation into the circumstances.
