A tragic workplace accident occurred on April 21 in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, where a scaffolding collapse during a reinforcement project at the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) resulted in the death of a migrant worker. After hours of being reported missing, the worker was found in the collapsed scaffolding debris on the hospital’s third floor in the early hours of April 22. He was pronounced dead at the scene, with signs of rigor mortis. Authorities identified the deceased as 49-year-old Indonesian migrant worker Suyatman. The case is now under police investigation.
The accident took place at 8:32 AM on April 21, during ongoing reinforcement work on the NTUH perimeter wall. The scaffolding suddenly gave way, and a migrant worker was reported missing, believed to have been trapped beneath the debris.
According to the Labor Inspection Office, the contractor carried out manual removal of the entangled scaffolding materials throughout the night. It wasn’t until 2:57 AM on April 22 that the missing worker was discovered under the collapsed structure on the third floor—already deceased.
The deceased, Suyatman, a 49-year-old Indonesian national (name phonetically translated), was found crushed under the scaffolding. The case has now been handed over to the police for further processing.
Regarding the cause of the accident, the Taipei City Labor Inspection Office stated on April 21 that SGM Stone Co., Ltd., the contractor responsible for the east wing exterior renovation at NTU Hospital, had improperly stacked dismantled scaffolding materials onto adjacent scaffolds. This overloading exceeded the structure’s weight limit, leading to the collapse.
The office cited the contractor for violating Articles 41(1) and 46(1)(3) of the Construction Safety and Health Facility Standards and imposed fines of NT$30,000 and NT$300,000 respectively.
[SETN / Reporter: Chen Hong-Yi / Taipei Report]2025/04/22 08:39:00
[photo by Taipei City Government /Reporter You Tengjie]