Worker dies after heavy iron plate falls on head, construction supervisor booked

A construction site supervisor is charged with negligence after a worker died from head injuries caused by a falling iron plate at a Santacruz site.

MUMBAI: A construction site supervisor has been booked for causing death by negligence after a 31-year-old labourer succumbed to severe head injuries allegedly sustained when a heavy iron plate fell on him while he was at work at a construction site in Santacruz East.

Worker dies after heavy iron plate falls on head, construction supervisor booked

According to the police, the incident came to light on June 3 when a police constable attached to the Vakola police station received a Medico-Legal Case (MLC) intimation from Benz Multispecialty Hospital in Santacruz West at around 4 pm. The hospital informed the police that a worker had suffered a serious head injury after an iron plate fell on him at the Flora Building construction site on CSMT Road in Santacruz East.

The constable immediately rushed to the hospital, where the injured worker was identified as Arif Azad Shaikh, 31. However, due to the severity of his injuries, Shaikh was unable to speak. Doctors attending to him issued a medical endorsement, while police initiated efforts to trace his relatives and associates. Despite repeated attempts, no family members or acquaintances could be located.

Following his death, the Vakola police registered an accidental death report under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and launched an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the accident.

Medical records cited by the police stated that Shaikh died due to “shock consequent to craniocerebral injury and its complications upon blunt force impact to the head”. Doctors classified the case as an unnatural death following a post-decompression craniotomy procedure.

During the investigation, police visited the construction site and recorded statements from those associated with the project. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the construction work had been awarded by Ken Construction to Nidhan Infoproject Pvt. Ltd., while Nisar Sobrat Ali Shaikh was supervising operations at the site.

Investigators suspect that the accident may have occurred due to inadequate safety precautions and lapses in workplace safety measures. Based on these findings, the Vakola police registered a case against the supervisor under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with causing death by negligence.

“We have booked the supervisor for death due to negligence. The investigation is ongoing,” a Vakola police officer said. Police officials added that efforts are still underway to trace and inform Shaikh’s family members about the incident.