Health and safety experts have begun their inspection of a building in Belfast which collapsed this month, injuring six people. Eyewitnesses said a floor gave way under the weight of concrete which was being poured onto the top of a six-storey office block under construction in Victoria Street. Workers fell approximately 30ft and had to be pulled free from falling steel girders, scaffolding and rubble in the accident which occurred at 10:40am on Monday 10 March 2008.
Five of the workers are in a serious but stable condition, while the sixth is believed to have less serious injuries. The company in charge of the project, Turkington Construction, has said it will be working closely with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) to investigate how the accident happened. Around 60 people were working on the site at the time of the collapse, and the fire service used specialist dogs to search the rubble, but no-one else was found. Nine fire engines and a specialist crew, as well as ambulances and police officers attended the scene.
The accident happened close to the back of the Royal Courts of Justice in the centre of Belfast where new offices are being built for the Northern Ireland Law Society. They were due to be completed in November 2008, but will now have to be demolished for safety reasons. In a statement, Turkington Construction said it, "Deeply regrets the incident which took place at Law Society House. We are now working with the HSE NI to investigate the causes of the incident and to ensure the site is secured to the public and our workforce."
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