Investigation launched into explosion at Laakson Hospital construction site in Finland

The South Finland Regional State Administrative Agency has initiated an investigation into the explosion accident that occurred on Friday at the Laakson Hospital construction site. Jarkko Niemi, the chief inspector of occupational safety authorities, confirmed to Yle that the investigation begins today, and an inspector will visit the site.

The Accident Investigation Authority (Otkes) has also requested documentation related to the explosions and their planning. Tiina Bieber, the communications manager for Otkes, stated that the agency has not yet been on-site but may rely on documents for information at this stage. She added that if an on-site visit becomes necessary, it should not be conducted alone.

Preliminary assessments indicate that earlier this summer, blasting operations took place at the construction site, and an unexploded charge had remained in a drilled hole specifically for blasting. Ossi Inkilä, the project manager from SRV overseeing the Laakson Hospital project, corroborated this understanding, explaining that the unexploded charge detonated when rocks were removed by an excavator nearby.

In response to questions regarding potential work errors or lapses in oversight at the construction site, Inkilä refrained from commenting. He noted that investigations will be conducted in collaboration with Destia, the contractor responsible for the open pit mining work. He emphasized that it is too early to determine the cause of the accident.