SMRT Technician Died While Repairing a Bus; Car Jack Supporting Bus Gave Way

A car jack supporting a bus gave way on the morning of 6 June, killing one SMRT technician and leaving another injured. 

The two workers, aged 44 and 43, were working underneath a bus that had been elevated by two car jacks. One of the jacks had given way and collapsed, causing the bus to fall on the workers. 

SMRT Technician Died While Repairing a Bus; Car Jack Supporting Bus Gave Way

According to ST, the police were notified at around 9.40am on 6 June of the incident that had taken place at 6 Ang Mo Kio Street 62, which is the location of SMRT’s Ang Mo Kio bus depot. 

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the two technicians were sent to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment. One of them had sustained severe head injuries while the other complained of pains in the chest. 

One of them was conscious when taken to the hospital, while the other was unconscious and eventually passed away from his injuries. 

According to SMRT’s general manager for automotive services Venkatesan P V, the two technicians had been repairing a minibus at the depot when they got injured. 

He said that SMRT is providing support and assistance to the family of the technician who passed away, while the other injured employee has been discharged from the hospital and is now on medical leave. 

The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) is also in touch with the family of the deceased worker to provide help. According to NTWU executive secretary Melvin Yong, the union has extended “a token sum” to help the family through “this trying period”. 

In addition, a stop-work order has been given to the Automotive Services commercial repair centre at Ang Mo Kio Depot. To highlight the importance of safety in the workplace other automotive workshops held a safety time-out. 

The Workplace Safety and Health Council said that such accidents can be avoided as long as the proper equipment capable of supporting the load of the raised vehicle was used. 

However, in this case, car jacks were used, which are unable to adequately support the weight of a bus. 

Furthermore, jacks have to be secured, and when working with heavy vehicles such as buses, additional apparatus should be used for enhanced support.

The council said that “a vehicle maintenance pit or purpose-built vehicle ramp or lift” should be used when possible to “safely access the bottom of a vehicle”. 

Between January and April 2021, there have been 14 workplace deaths. 

Worker Killed by Reversing Wheel Loader 

There had been another fatal accident that took place on 3 June. 

A worker passed away after sustaining injuries when a wheel loader (used for transferring gravel and sand) reversed and hit him. 

According to the council, there was a functional rear-view mirror installed on the vehicle, but the warning beacon and reverse alarm were not working. 

The 50-year-old worker was unconscious while being sent to the hospital, and he subsequently passed away from his injuries.

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