SUKE tragedy: Prolintas says prioritises safety; will cooperate with authorities

By Teoh Pei Ying - March 22, 2021 @ 11:59pm

KUALA LUMPUR: Projek Lintasan Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) is ready to cooperate fully with the authorities investigating the gantry crane structure collapse at the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Highway (SUKE) today.

In a statement, Prolintas group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah said, ensuring the safety aspect had always been prioritised by the highway concessionaire from day one itself.

"From the first day Prolintas took on the responsibility of developing this project, we have stressed on safety since more than 90 per cent of SUKE involved works at elevated levels on top of roads with heavy traffic.

"We strive to work as a team and our objective is very clear, to ensure the project is built in the safest manner, completed on time and in accordance with the highest standards of engineering practices.

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"The incident that occurred today is very unfortunate and Prolintas will provide full cooperation to the authorities, and will continue to improve the process and implementation of existing projects," he said.

Prolintas also said it had consistently reminded all contractors involved in the SUKE construction to follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) and take appropriate steps to uphold safety aspects.

"This includes conducting 'tool box' sessions or safety briefings every day before works start and periodical emergency rescue training with the relevant safety bodies.

"At the same time, there was the activation of a traffic management plan that was approved by the relevant parties such as the Malaysian Highway Authority and local authorities, for the safety of road users."

The construction of SUKE involves nine major contractors in addition to the full involvement of independent consulting engineers in designing, supervising and overseeing various aspects.

Prolintas said it also had an internal team comprising experienced engineers to monitor the work done by the contractors involved.

"There are also weekly safety audits conducted to assess work and compliance with safety and health SOP, which are monitored directly by Prolintas."