Law Initiative will allow to revoke a license from a contractor whose site caused a fatal accident

Legislative amendment to fight construction accidents is expected to receive a green light from the Justice Department soon. This memorandum of law will allow the Ministry of Housing to revoke a license from a contractor whose site caused a fatal accident that resulted in death
The bill will include a work stoppage on all contractor job sites. The bill's memorandum, drafted by Construction and Housing Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton (all of us), is already provoking anger among contractors who fear the severe crackdown. According to estimates by officials, the Justice Department is expected to approve the establishment of a ministerial committee in the coming weeks to discuss approval of the law memo.
A bill initiated by the construction and housing minister Yifat Shasha Biton receives positive reinforcement from the Justice Ministry, causing a stir among contractors. A section will be added to the Contractors Registration Law, which will allow all contractor construction sites to be closed - following a fatal accident in which a person was killed at one of his sites.
This is a significant change from the existing situation, where after an accident, only the site where the accident occurred is closed and the rest of the contractor's sites continue to work normally. Today, the amendment to the law allows a commissioner on behalf of the Ministry of Labor to issue a temporary closure order for a construction site where an employee is killed or seriously injured from a 48-hour work accident, which can be extended for another three days. The contractor has the opportunity to make his claims for cancellation of the order at the first opportunity, and if he proves that he has complied with all the required safety provisions - the order will be canceled.
For companies with large building volumes, this is a scary scenario, as closing down all of the company's sites immediately will result in the loss of millions. These are companies that often work for a low percentage of profits, so that implementation of such a decision could result in companies where several accidents occur during the year for a significant financial loss.
As mentioned, the bill seeks to amend the Contract Registration Law and establish a binding mechanism between the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Construction and Housing, under which the Ministry of Labor's Safety Administration will pass on to the Registrar of Contractors the Ministry of Housing a professional opinion, and information regarding contractors who violated the rules of work safety on construction sites in a way that could endanger lives. A person.
It is proposed to establish a mechanism for the suspension of a contractor's license in the event of a work accident at a construction site under the responsibility of the contractor, which caused death - for a period of 30 days. That is, until he satisfactorily demonstrates with the head of the Safety Administration at the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services that the contractor complies with all the safety rules on the construction sites that are his responsibility.
The law seeks to extend the current authority of the contractor's registrar, and seeks to add a section that in the event of a fatal accident, may order an immediate cessation of all contractor's work, by suspending the contractor's registration in the contractor's register, and proving to the discretion of the head of the safety administration that he is capable of doing work in a manner. That will ensure the peace of the public.
The Land Builders Association was furious at the bill, which they said was causing injustice to contractors compared to other industries in which many accidents also occur. For example, for the past five years, they say 46 workers in the industry have been killed - almost ten a year, but no factories are closed or production licenses revoked.