DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇪 Belgium /Disasters & Emergencies

Concrete blocks fall from ceiling in Belgian administrative building; union blames poor maintenance

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Concrete blocks fell from the ceiling of a restroom in the Rijksadministratief Centrum (RAC) in Hasselt, Belgium.
  • No injuries were reported, but a section of the building has been closed as a precaution.
  • A union representative attributes the incident to years of poor maintenance, warning it could have been much worse.

Several concrete blocks unexpectedly fell from the ceiling of a restroom in the Rijksadministratief Centrum (RAC) in Hasselt, Belgium, last Friday. While no one was injured in the incident, a portion of the building has been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, impacting over 200 employees who are now working remotely or relocating.

This could have ended very badly.

— Lieven EggermontThe ACV union representative commented on the potential danger of the falling concrete blocks.

Union representatives, specifically Lieven Eggermont from ACV, have pointed to years of inadequate maintenance as the root cause of the structural failure. Eggermont stated, "This could have ended very badly." The union has been raising concerns about the building's safety since at least 2022, when ceiling fragments first fell on other floors. Despite official advice and warnings from the prevention officer of the FPS Finance, the issues have reportedly been addressed with temporary fixes rather than comprehensive repairs.

The prevention officer of the FPS Finance sounded the alarm at the time and issued official advice with works that urgently needed to be carried out.

— Lieven EggermontThe union representative highlighted that warnings about the building's condition were issued previously.

This latest incident, where substantial parts of the ceiling collapsed, underscores the ongoing problems. Eggermont noted that previous repair work, including measures taken in April and August of last year, proved insufficient or were not thorough enough. The frustration among staff is palpable, especially as the FPS Finance occupies the building but does not own it; responsibility lies with the Regie der Gebouwen (Buildings Agency) and the owner.

There were works carried out, but it was more temporary 'patchwork' to reinforce the ceilings. Apparently, that was not enough or not all ceilings were thoroughly checked.

— Lieven EggermontThe union representative described the inadequate nature of previous repair attempts.

The situation raises serious questions about the building's suitability for future plans, which include relocating tax services from Pelt and Tongeren next year. Unions and staff are already expressing significant doubts about moving to a facility that appears to not meet basic safety standards, adding to concerns about longer commutes for employees.

It is apparently very difficult to effectively force the Agency and the owner to take their responsibility.

— Lieven EggermontThe union representative explained the difficulty in getting the responsible parties to address the building's safety issues.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog