Man dies after machine collapses on him; 45th workplace fatality of the year
The 31-year-old Singaporean was struck and pinned down by a machine which toppled while being transferred by a forklift.
The Ministry of Manpower logo. (File photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)
SINGAPORE: A worker died on Tuesday (Dec 27) after he was struck and pinned down by a machine which toppled, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement.
This brings the number of workplace fatalities in 2022 to 45, exceeding the 37 workplace deaths reported for the whole of last year.
In a statement released on Tuesday, MOM said the fatal accident took place at 601 Rifle Range Road at 7.53am.
The 31-year-old Singaporean was struck and pinned down by a machine which toppled while it was in the process of being transferred by a forklift. He was then taken unconscious to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead, MOM said.
“When using forklifts, it is critical to ensure that the forks are inserted underneath the load, and the load is stable before being raised for transfer,” a ministry spokesperson said.
“This is to prevent any accidental toppling of the load.”
RCM Resources was the man's employer and ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering was the occupier of the site where the accident occurred.
MOM has instructed the occupier to stop all lifting operations.
The Manpower Ministry had called for a six-month period of heightened safety from Sep 1 to Feb 28, 2023 in response to a higher rate of workplace fatalities.
It announced in September that companies in higher-risk sectors were required to conduct a mandatory safety time-out to review safety procedures, as part of the measures introduced under the heightened safety period.
