Prosecutor files aggravated assault charges over Laakso Hospital explosion
The prosecutor has filed charges against the individual who led blasting work at the Laakso Hospital construction site following an explosion on 9 August 2024 that injured two people and caused widespread damage. The defendant faces two counts of aggravated assault, a workplace safety offence, and endangerment, with the case set to be heard in the Helsinki District Court.
District Prosecutor Mikko Larkio stated that the charges were upgraded from basic assault to aggravated assault due to what he described as "gross negligence, not just negligence" (Helsingin Sanomat). The explosion occurred when an excavator operator was scaling a rock face, triggering two dynamite charges that had been left in the wrong location two months earlier. The charges were not removed, and knowledge of their presence was limited to a small group of workers (Helsingin Sanomat).
The blast propelled boulders over 300 metres, damaging vehicles on nearby streets, including Mannerheimintie (Helsingin Sanomat). The Safety Investigation Authority found that the construction site had failed to conduct proper risk assessments for hazardous tasks and that communication between parties was inadequate (Yle). The authority noted that in large-scale projects, risks such as impact hammering after blasting are often not sufficiently evaluated (Yle).
Initially, police suspected four individuals in connection with the incident, but charges were filed against only one. The others were cleared after the prosecutor determined they lacked sufficient knowledge of the events or responsibility for the oversight (Yle). The case was first reported by Helsingin Sanomat, and no timeline has been set for the trial (Yle).
