Two construction workers were injured yesterday, one seriously, after falling three storeys from a building they were painting in the capital’s Meanchey district.

Stung Meanchey commune police chief Mao Savoeun identified the duo as a 45-year-old named Ny and a 20-year-old named Mab, saying that they had a broken arm and back, respectively.

While Savouen said he was unaware of the reason for the fall, a Land Ministry official said one of the workers had slipped from the metal scaffolding they were standing on.

Chea Vong Chenda, deputy chief for the district’s land management department, said Mab first slipped and then fell on his uncle, who was lower on the scaffolding, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

“Both of them struck the scaffolding many times before hitting the ground. If they fell directly, their injuries would have been much worse,” he said.

Photos of the incident showed that neither of the workers was wearing safety equipment or harnesses.

The incident comes just a day after the Labour Ministry set up a committee on occupational safety and health to address such incidents.