Worker in Serangoon Dies After The Wall He Was Hacking Falls on Him

By
Gan Zhen Yin
-

Another workplace death occurred this month.

According to The Straits Times, a 41-year-old Bangladeshi worker died on 10 June when a part of a wall he was hacking collapsed on him.

The worker was part of a project involving a landed private home in Serangoon Gardens.

He was extricated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescuers and pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigation Ongoing for Accident

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said they were alerted of the accident in the afternoon around 4:30 pm on the same day.

The accident has since been shared in a Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) alert issued by the WSH Council on 16 June (Thursday).

Parties involved are the occupier, Beow Hock Engineering and the deceased worker’s employer, Sam Woo (S.E.A).

In the alert issued by WSH, the WSH reiterated that caution must be exercised by the industry to remain vigilant against risks and prevent accidents.

As of 17 June, there are a total of 26 cases of workplace accidents this year.

This is the most amount of workplace accidents during the same period since 2016.

Demolition Activities Most ‘High-Risk’

The alert noted that demolition works are high-risk construction activities that require proper plans prior.

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Procedures must also be put in place to reduce and prevent accidents.

This includes putting up signs to warn persons of unauthorised entry into the worksite.

Other measures also include no wall or any part of a structure which is being demolished in a worksite should be left in a state where it may fall or collapse “inadvertently”.

Workers should also be provided and wear protective equipment such as safety boots and helmets

Stiffer Penalties Given as Enforcement

As of 14 June (Tuesday), companies with poor WSH performance will be dealt with harsher penalties.

This includes the doubling of composition fines up to $5,000 for offences observed during safety inspections.

Some netizens however have voiced out that these changes are not enough.

Companies that have been issued stop-work orders or have had past workers experiencing major injuries will also have to engage external auditors to review their current systems.

Last month, a worker died after falling 9.5 meters through a skylight to the factory floor.

In April, more than 12,000 companies called a time-out after ten workers died in the month alone.

The time-put involves firms pausing ongoing works so that management can engage with their workers and unions on WSH processes.

This also includes reviewing risk assessments and ensuring that workers in the firm have WSH training relevant to their roles.

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Featured Image: Workplace Safety & Health Council

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Gan Zhen Yin
Email: [email protected]