The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice) on Friday added its voice to those offering condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and those injured in the collapse of temporary steel scaffolding across the M1 highway earlier this week, describing it as one of the most “unfortunate and appalling” incidents in the domestic civil engineering and construction industry in recent years.

Two people were killed and another 22 injured on Wednesday when the scaffolding, which was intended to have been used as an interim support measure during construction of a pedestrian bridge parallel to the Grayston Bridge, gave way, collapsing on the high-traffic M1 highway.

The exact cause of the accident remained unknown.

Saice on Friday lauded the response of the bridge’s primary contractor Murray & Roberts (M&R) in the wake of the tragedy, describing the construction and engineering firm’s reaction as “exemplary”.

“The firm acknowledged responsibility and took immediate action by being on site immediately and providing their personnel and equipment to assist. I was particularly impressed with their CEO Henry Laas, for the manner in which information has been forthcoming,” commented Saice CEO Manglin Pillay.

M&R had since hired independent consultants to assist in the investigation of the cause of the fatal collapse.

Saice also used the opportunity to take aim at the State’s engineering and construction skills deficit, cautioning that government was far more susceptible to such incidents during its various build programmes as a result.

“If a collapse like this can occur while a reputable civil engineering company such as M&R, with many very experienced civil engineers, is doing the construction, Saice is perturbed to think what could happen in many of the municipalities and national departments, with their inadequate number or often total lack of civil engineering capacity,” it asserted.

The organisation added that the incident should be viewed as an opportunity for the civil engineering and construction industry in South Africa to be an example of accountability, demonstrating transparency by clearly communicating the stages of the process of accountability, and taking action.

“This could become an example to all of what true accountability should be.

“As civil engineering is all about providing quality of life, this devastating incident in which people were killed and many injured, is the more tragic for the civil engineering fraternity. Civil engineers are serious about providing safe structures for people and, for this reason, a thorough investigation on the cause of the collapse is an imperative,” it held.