Worker dies after accident involving tree pruning works; 43rd workplace fatality of the year: MOM

SINGAPORE: A 28-year-old worker died on Wednesday (Dec 7) after an accident involving tree pruning works, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday.

The man's death brought the number of workplace fatalities for this year to 43, MOM said in a statement. This exceeds the 37 workplace deaths reported for the whole of last year.

The accident took place at about 3.30pm on Wednesday along Toa Payoh East Road, near 1003 Toa Payoh Industrial Park, said MOM. 

The worker, a Bangladeshi national, was involved in the loading of tree trunks via a lorry crane after tree pruning works. 

"During the lifting operation, as a tree trunk was being hoisted, it dislodged from the lifting sling and struck him," MOM said. "This caused him to fall and hit his head against the pavement."

The man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. 

"As a general safety measure, all loads must be properly rigged and secured by a competent rigger before conducting any lifting operation by mobile cranes," said MOM. 

Penta Landscape was the employer of the worker and the occupier of the site where the accident occurred.

MOM said it is investigating the accident and has instructed the company to stop all tree pruning and lifting activities.

A higher rate of workplace fatalities was reported in the first half of 2022, even as the number of reported workplace injuries fell. 

In response, MOM called for a six-month period of heightened safety from Sep 1 to Feb 28, 2023. 

The Manpower Ministry in September announced 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.