Structural deficiencies to blame for Kordin collapse that killed Jean Paul Sofia

Deficiencies in the structural design of the building in Kordin led to the construction collapse that killed Jean Paul Sofia last December.

According to the magisterial inquiry into his death, the primary cause of the collapse was the structural design of the building.

Prime Minister Robert Abela on Wednesday published the inquiry conducted by Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia, which recommended criminal action against five individuals.

The inquiry said the design failed to consider aspects such as wall stability or building resilience to prevent a catastrophic collapse in the case of an accident.

The wall configurations and wide openings on two sides meant that the taller wall on the side of the building was structurally weak.

Five people have since been charged with the involuntary homicide of Jean Paul Sofia, who died after the building collapsed on 3 December 2022.

The accused are: Matthew Schembri, 38, company director, from Birkirkara; Kurt Buhagiar, 39, employee from Naxxar; Adriana Zammit, 35 from Zabbar, architect; Milomir Jovicevic, 39, a construction worker and his wife Dijana, 39, with him a director in Milmar Construction Ltd.

The five were accused of causing the death of Jean Paul Sofia and injury to five other workers, now identified as Vladimir Laketic, Gentjan Carku, Lulzim Carku, Denis Carku, and Sammy David Curtis; and negligently causing a grievous injury to the five workers.

The nature of the collapse

The inquiry conclusions suggest that the wall of the construction site fell moments before the roof started to collapse. “This is in conformity with the hypothesis that the collapse was not an internal one, from the roof, because otherwise the fresh concrete would have collapsed towards the middle.”

Photos presented in the inquiry suggest that the building collapsed outwards, rather than inwards.

Another photo shows that the planned double walls were not tied together, as required in good workmanship. “This shortcoming has structural significance, because, in terms of lateral stiffness, a double wall tied together is four times stronger than two walls built next to each other.”

More photos show that the metal bars over which concerete is laid were neither tied to the respective adjacent structures, thus reducing the building’s ‘resilience’ in the case of an accident.

The inquiry also points to a spreader beam mentioned in the construction plans drawn up by the architect. However, what was missing were instructions for the spreader beam to be tied to the metal bars between the concrete planks.

Since the outside structure was not ‘tied’ together properly, pressure from the overlying concrete planks would have pushed the walls outwards.

The fact that there was no interlocking system tying the walls to other parts of the structure meant that the moment one wall started to collapse, the whole site was going to go down with it.

No one licensed on site

The inquiry points out that there was no one on site who fully understood what they were doing, and the contractors and owners of the site knew this.

“It is important that the authorities impose not only a licensing system of contractors as soon as possible, for both Maltese and foreign workers, but also serious training on the current needs of the construction industry.”

Moreover, no register was kept of who was going onto the construction site. The inquiry adds that Jean Paul Sofia’s role on site was also vague, as earlier in the day he went on site to collect material and empty it into a skip. He later returned to the construction site and this time went up to the roof, where he took photos of the work underway.

“It is fundamental for the health and safety of people, including workers, that on any construction site there is full control over who enters the site, and that there is someone who knows exactly who is working on what, as is the norm outside of Malta.”

Some of the workers who were on site at the time of the collapse had little to no training in construction, and were registered as carpenters.

It seems that Matthew Schembri was the person giving instruction on the work that had to be done on site. “The technical leadership on site, and supervision, was done through WhatsApp and photos taken by someone like Jean Paul Sofia!”

Indeed, architect Adriana Zammit was giving orders on what to do on site based on photos sent on a WhatsApp chat with Matthew Schembri, Kurt Buhagiar, and at a later stage Schembri’s cousin Andre. Zammit and Schembri would only meet on site every two weeks.

According to the inquiry report, it was Kurt Buhagiar who was responsible for the applications and permits for the site, “because of his contacts”.

OHSA were not aware of works

OHSA CEO Mark Gauci testified to the inquiry that the owners of the site did not inform the authority of the works, as is required at law.

Because of this, the work was not on the OHSA’s radar. No officials from the authority went on site to carry out inspections, nor to ensure that the site is safe for workers.

In fact, photos exhibited in the inquiry from various mobiles and files never showed workers on site wearing protective gear.