One Killed In Chimney Cleaning Accident In Riau

Pekanbaru, Riau, Sept 24 (ANTARA) - A supporting concrete pillar that a group of workers used for cleaning PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP)'s chimney collapsed here Friday, killing a laborer.

The accident also wounded 19 workers, Chief of Pelalawan sub-district police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Ari Rachman Nafarin said.

The dead worker was identified as Sutrisno, 28, after the collapsed supporting structure crushed him, he said.

The body of this ill-fated worker of Solo, Central Java Province had been evacuated to Evarina hospital for post-mortem checks while the 19 wounded laborers were rushed to Selasih general hospital.

It remained unclear how many survivors got seriously injured, he said.

The collapse occurred on Friday at 11.00 am local time. A number of workers had got into the supporting structure board when its iron concrete suddenly collapsed, he said.

As a result, the workers fell down and the rubble of the collapsed structure also crushed some others on the ground, he said.

"This accident is still under the police investigation," he said.

Meanwhile, the RAPP spokesman Salomo Sihotang said the victims were all employees of PT Truba, one of the RAPP's sub-contracting partners for cleaning the factory's chimneys.

He said the RAPP had met with PT Truba management's people for talks about their responsibilities for the fatal accident.

"On Friday afternoon, we have met with those of our sub-contracting partner for talks about the accident and responsibilities," he said.

Working accidents remain serious problem in Indonesia as shown by the 2009-2010 figures. In 2009, there were 54,398 cases. This number decreased to 47,919 cases (January-July period).

According to the state workers' insurance company (Jamsostek), 7,965 of 47,919 working accident victims died.

Over the past three years, the number of working accidents tend to have significantly decreased. In 2007, there were 83,714 cases.