One Worker Dead, One Injured on Worksite in Tbilisi

A construction worker died and another was injured after falling out of a building on a worksite near metro station 'Gotsiridze' in Tbilisi.

The injured worker has been hospitalized. The health condition of the 26-year-old man is said to be critical. 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reports that an investigation is in progress under Paragraph II, Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving breach of safety regulations during mining, construction or other works.

According to the decision of the Labor Inspection Department of the Ministry of Health, construction works were immediately suspended.

Beka Peradze, head of the Department, told reporters that the Labor Inspectorate has started investigating the incident.

Critical violations of labor security were reported at the scene.

"I would like to express my condolences for this tragic accident. The Labor Inspection has launched investigative procedures. Our employees are working on site. At this stage, we have decided to suspend the work process due to critical safety violations discovered there, which are incompatible with the legislation," he said. 

Peradze pointed out that every company has an obligation to ensure safety standards. 

"There are many construction companies throughout the country, and the labor safety law applies to economic activity in all sectors. Accordingly, all companies are obliged to ensure safety standards. The State, in this case, provides selective control and certain supervision. The investigation is underway in the case and in the near future we will have more opportunity to comment," he noted.

By Ana Dumbadze