TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of Taipei has imposed stringent new safety protocols at construction sites across Taiwan's capital following the death of an Indonesian migrant worker in a scaffolding collapse at the prestigious National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH, 台大醫院). Sites experiencing fatal falls will now face mandatory work suspensions ranging from 15 days to one month.
The mayor on Wednesday (April 23) instructed the Taipei City Construction Management Office (臺北市建築管理工程處), the city's building safety authority, to partner with industry unions for immediate random inspections of scaffolding structures citywide, with findings on the hospital tragedy due by Friday evening. Authorities have identified 21 additional construction sites managed by the same contractors responsible for NTUH's exterior renovation, all of which must undergo comprehensive labor safety inspections within seven days.
During his announcement, the mayor referenced a troubling pattern of construction fatalities in Taipei, including a worker who died while assembling the New Year's Eve celebration stage last December and three separate deadly falls between February and March of this year. Chiang placed blame squarely on systemic safety deficiencies rather than individual workers, stressing the importance of proper safety equipment such as locks and protective netting at all sites.
The mayor has designated the Labor Inspection Office (勞檢處) as the primary enforcement agency for the new safety initiative. Meanwhile, Taipei's Department of Economic Development (產發局) is collaborating with construction authorities to create a comprehensive contractor monitoring system that would identify and potentially blacklist companies with poor safety records, effectively limiting future contract opportunities for negligent operators. ★
