Gravel fall suspends reconstruction work on housing institute building

Reconstruction work on the Housing Bureau (IH) building on Rua Norte do Patane has been suspended following an incident involving falling gravel and paint stains on nearby parked motorcycles, the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) announced.

According to DSOP, the issue came to their attention through social media posts by residents. The bureau stated that it is “paying close attention to this situation” and has immediately ordered the suspension of all cleaning work on the scaffolding surrounding the building’s exterior walls.

DSOP explained that at the time of the incident, workers were cleaning and removing materials from the scaffolding to prepare for its dismantling. During this process, mortar, paint, and dust fell from the scaffolding, which the department suspects was due to “failures in the protective measures during the procedure.”

The bureau has instructed the contractor to cooperate fully with an ongoing investigation, which includes a thorough review of on-site safety protocols and the submission of a detailed report. DSOP emphasized that construction will only resume once safety conditions are reassessed and deemed adequate to prevent similar incidents.

Notably, a resident previously complained on social media about being struck on the head by a piece of gravel, reportedly the size of a coin, while passing the construction site. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The reconstruction of the IH building was awarded to the De Top Design – Kwong Kian Heng – Man Kin Consortium at a cost of 257 million patacas, with an execution period of 707 working days. The project was originally scheduled for completion this month. Victoria Chan