Construction supervisor gets suspended sentence over fatal highrise fall

Worker died after plunging from the 71st floor of a building in Dubai Marina.

DUBAI // A safety supervisor received a suspended one-month prison sentence for his role in the death of a worker who fell from the 71st floor to 54th floor of a Dubai Marina building last year.

TM, an Indian, was also fined Dh1,000 and ordered to pay Dh200,000 blood money to the family of NA, who died of serious head injuries on October 5, 2010.

RH and MN, both Indians, who also worked at the site, were acquitted of unintentionally causing a death.

Prosecutors said that on the day of the incident, NA was working at a residential tower under construction as a cleaner. During his one-hour lunch break, he lost his balance while standing near the edge of the building and fell.

Jebil Ali police were notified and an ambulance took NA to Rashid Hospital, where he died

Investigations showed that safety procedures were followed at the site, as hooks were available for all workers to connect to their harnesses when working on high floors and warning signs were places around the work site.

The workers' supervisor, identified in records as T, testified that all dangerous openings on the top floors had metal railings and red safety tape to warn workers.

The verdict is subject to appeal.