Bridge collapse in Espoo | There were already complaints about the “wobbly” bridge before the accident

City|Bridge collapse in Espoo

Espoo The construction site was warned in advance about the poor condition of the pedestrian bridge that caused the Tapiola fall accident.

This is evident from the messages sent to the customer service of the city of Espoo after Rakennuslehti took possession.

After the accident, a person working at Espoo’s working college Omnia, next to the accident site, sent written feedback to the city’s customer service:

“Several times within a couple of years, our students have told us that the now collapsed bridge (and other temporary bridges that have been in place for a long time) are wobbly and unsafe. A few students have looked for people at the construction sites and told about their observations about the condition of the bridges, they have been assured that everything is fine.”

The customer feedback also reflects on whether the information really does not flow through the city’s systems.

“Where should this have been reported so that the matter would also have been taken seriously.”

Feedback the condition of the bridges did not end up in the right place, i.e. the city of Espoo. The feedback was left to the construction site, which is not responsible for the condition of the bridge. The construction site also did not inform the city of Espoo about the complaints about the bridge’s problems.

Renta Telineet was responsible for the implementation of the temporary pedestrian bridge for the city of Espoo.

27 people were injured in the accident.

Information flow deficiencies have unfortunately become familiar even to the occupational safety expert, the Chief Inspector of the Regional Administration Office for Western and Inner Finland Janne Hokkanen.

Are the citizens’ feedback channels related to the safety of the construction site and its adjacent areas sufficiently clear?

“That’s an excellent question. It can be really difficult for an outsider to approach the construction site people. We also receive customer feedback on this at Avi. However, it would be important to be informed if someone notices strange things on or near the construction site and suspects that everything might not be in order,” says Hokkanen.

“Of course, as a former construction worker, I understand how difficult it is to process all the feedback that comes to the construction site. Feedback channels should be good and functional, and now that’s not really the case. The matter should definitely be developed.”

According to Hokkanen, information about the operation of construction sites should be better available to casual passers-by as well.

“The person performing the work should be clearly visible and the party to whom the feedback is given. Sometimes you see good signs, but they are missing. Feedback is sometimes very valuable in order to know how to react to problems.”

Tapiolan the accident has made the safety of construction sites a topic of conversation in the entire Finnish media.

Sometimes the development of things requires that something bad happens before that.

“Unfortunately, I myself have to make a mistake in this matter, so I agree. Fortunately, there was luck in Tapiola, and no one lost their life. Fortunately, no one fell headfirst to the ground and no vehicle happened to be driving under the bridge at the exact same time,” says Hokkanen.

Hokkanen also highlights the care taken in excavation work.

“In the worst case, rocks can fly more than half a kilometer away. I have personally thought that it would take a really serious situation before the dangers caused by excavation work outside the site are awakened.”

According to him, the risks caused by construction for those affected by the work cause too many risks for citizens.

“We supervise these matters in connection with the inspection of construction sites, but the supervision of other authorities in the field of operation is quite minimal.”

For the accident center, the Tapiola bridge accident is the third investigation into bridges. Two previous bridge collapses have occurred during bridge demolition. The investigation of the Tapiola accident is ongoing.