Workplace deaths tally for 2022 rises to 24 after man falls 9.5m through skylight
Migrant workers working at a construction site in Singapore on Sep 14, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: A 49-year-old man died in a workplace accident last week after he fell through a skylight and landed 9.5m below on the factory floor.
The incident took place on the morning of May 19 at 36 Joo Koon Circle when the employee was preparing for roof cleaning works.
The man was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on the same day, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Saturday (May 28).
The ministry said the freelance labourer was contracted by Vina Specialist, who is also the occupier of the building. According to its website, the company provides industrial maintenance services and commercial window cleaning.
“As a general safety measure, every means by which a worker may fall from height should be identified and guarded or covered. In addition, workers should be equipped with safety equipment to prevent falls,” said MOM. Â
The incident is being investigated and the company has been instructed to stop all work activities at heights.
“To date, the total number of workplace fatalities in 2022 is 24,” added MOM.
WORKER INJURED
In a separate incident, a workplace accident at 190 Orchard Boulevard left a 31-year-old worker injured after he was struck by a formwork component. The building is currently occupied by Kajima Oversea Asia.
On the morning of May 26, another worker was dismantling the formwork structure of a lift shaft on the 29th floor. A component of the formwork slipped and dropped, hitting the 31-year-old Bangladeshi worker on the 14th floor.
The injured worker was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he is currently being treated for a back injury, said MOM. The employer is Xiang Tai Construction.
“As a general safety measure, incompatible works carried out by different groups of workers within the same work area need to be properly scheduled. There should also be safe work procedures in place to prevent dismantled objects from falling,” added the ministry.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on May 9 said that there have been "far too many" workplace fatalities this year, and safety standards and practices "seem to have slipped”.
"We have been working hard for years to prevent workplace accidents, especially deaths.
"We have made good progress. But with our economy reopening and activities ramping up, safety standards and practices seem to have slipped,” he said in a Facebook post.
Noting that accident rates have gone up, Mr Lee said that Singapore “must put this right”.
Editor's note:Â The 31-year-old worker who was injured at 190 Orchard Boulevard was on the 14th floor, not the 29th floor. We apologise for the error.
