Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs Minister Chaim Katz has launched a plan to address safety on construction sites. The initiative addressed 37 local authorities, including Jerusalem, Yavneh, Charish, Be’er Sheva, Kiryat Gat, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv and more.

The ministry is concerned with safety on and around construction sites, as public safety in those areas is no less important.

Safety may be affected by the irresponsible operation of turret cranes, construction work without a foreman, scaffolding built close to power lines, and other potential hazards, ministry officials explain.

City engineers are able to implement the building permit conditions as well as deciding when contractors may begin construction, and to use the building enforcement units in the city, which supervise the construction sites in cities, to enforce these conditions.

Minister Katz stated, “Uniting the forces between the Safety Administration and the local authorities is necessary to combat the lawlessness of the construction sites, and I call upon the mayors to join our efforts to stop the carnage in the sites and to exercise the powers they have to exert additional pressure on contractors”.

The accompanying document shows the cities, number of closure orders and construction site fatalities.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)