Scaffolding collapses in Beitou, injuring four

Four people were injured yesterday morning after scaffolding collapsed at the demolition site of Taipei’s Old Beitou Market, prompting city authorities to order a complete suspension of work and impose the maximum contractual penalty on the contractor.

The incident occurred at about 10:35am at the three-story demolition site on Xinshi Street in Beitou District (北投), the Taipei Fire Department said.

A section of scaffolding spanning three stories and measuring about 5m by 18m collapsed at the site.

Emergency personnel respond to a scaffolding collapse in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday morning.

Photo: CNA

A male construction worker fell from the third floor, but remained conscious despite sustaining serious injuries, while three passersby sustained minor injuries. All four were taken to hospital for treatment, the department said.

Speaking at the scene after the incident, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the building had already been demolished, but the scaffolding was not removed as required after the building was demolished, causing it to collapse.

The city will impose the maximum contractual penalty of NT$2.5 million (US$76,313) on the contractor, Chiang said, adding that the city’s Construction Management Office has ordered a halt to all work and would continue its investigation to determine responsibility for the incident.

The office said it had asked structural and civil engineering experts to inspect the site and determine the cause of the collapse.

City agencies established a forward command post to coordinate the response, Chiang said, pledging that work would not resume until safety reviews are completed.

The mayor’s campaign team also suspended election activities after the incident. His wife, Shih Fang-hsuan (石舫?), had been campaigning at the nearby Beitou Interim Market when the collapse occurred and later accompanied Chiang to visit the injured people at the hospital.

The incident came on the same day the Ministry of Labor released data showing that Taiwan recorded 193 fatal major occupational incidents in the first nine months of this year, down 9 percent from a year earlier.

However, fatalities in the construction sector increased, rising by nine year-on-year to 102. Falls accounted for 62 percent of construction-related deaths.

Ministry officials said 74 percent of construction workers killed in workplace incidents were employed by subcontractors, highlighting safety management challenges in multi-tiered subcontracting arrangements.

The figures underscored persistent safety management problems in such multi-tier arrangements, the officials said.

The ministry recently tightened regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), requiring principal contractors to more clearly define safety management responsibilities when subcontracting work or coordinating multiple contractors.

It also plans joint inspections of technology factory construction projects and is encouraging developers to adopt third-party safety oversight to help reduce workplace incidents.