(Haipo) – A serious safety incident occurred today (Wednesday, November 4, 2026) at noon at the Ofer Special Education School in Haifa, when a heavy concrete block fell from a nearby construction site, entered the school grounds and hit the dining hall area. Fortunately, there were no students on site and no injuries were reported. The Haifa Municipality issued an order to stop work on the site.
A concrete swimming pool broke loose and rolled into the school compound.
According to one initial assessment, during work to lift a concrete pool at a nearby construction site, the pool broke loose, rolled down the terrain and entered the school compound, where it hit the dining hall structure. The exact circumstances of the incident are still being investigated. The school administration immediately informed the students' parents about the incident. The fact that no students were present at the time of the impact prevented disastrous consequences.
The municipality issued a stop work order to the construction company.
Haifa Municipality engineering and safety officials arrived at the scene, including the director of the Construction Supervision Department, and issued the company an order to stop work for five days. During this period, the municipality will investigate the incident and conduct a comprehensive review of the safety measures at the site.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav responded to the event and said: "This is an extremely serious incident, which only miraculously did not end in disaster. We will not allow any compromise when it comes to the safety of our children. We will demand clear answers and will act with all the tools at our disposal to prevent such incidents from recurring."
Municipality CEO: "We will not compromise on student safety"
Haifa Municipality Director General David Luria instructed all professional bodies to conduct a thorough examination of the incident and the safety system at the site. Luria emphasized that the municipality will require the company to correct any deficiencies found and ensure that work will only resume under appropriate safety conditions. The incident raises serious questions regarding the level of safety at construction sites adjacent to educational institutions, and in particular for institutions serving sensitive populations such as a special education school.
Whoever approved them on the local committee to work above a school should be fired from the municipality.
Come on. There is a limit.
All due respect to the City of Haifa and Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan, who aspired to concern.
Initially, the order was issued for only 5 days.
Secondly, the order does not say at all what it was issued for. Apparently, for the next 5 days, the "Shatit" company will be prohibited from rolling concrete blocks and damaging the school walls with them. Any other work is permitted.
It's not enough - you don't show the terrible damage caused to the school building. The municipality must sue the company for a huge sum and build an acoustic separating wall between the school and this disgraceful project.
Why is safety only taken care of at sites close to educational institutions? Every site, no matter where it is, should have strict safety measures with a safety manager, without which permits cannot be given to begin construction.
Congratulations to David Luria