UPDATE (31 Mar): A spokesperson from the Jurong-Clementi Town Council said officers responded to the incident at 5.30pm. You can read the full statement below.
–
During wet weather, we often use covered walkways to shelter us as we head to our destination.
However, a dangerous incident happened recently when a ceiling board at Bukit Batok fell off when an 83-year-old man was walking underneath it.
Fortunately, the board narrowly missed him. Not wanting anyone else to get hurt, he moved a recycling bin to where the incident occurred to warn others.
On Tuesday (29 Mar), an 83-year-old man, known as Mr Chen, told Shin Min Daily News that he was using the walkway between Block 171 and Block 173 of Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 on a rainy day when the ceiling board suddenly collapsed.
The ceiling board reportedly made a sound before falling at his heel, narrowly missing him. Residents staying nearby told the Chinese paper that they heard the loud noise as well.
Mr Chen shared that the wooden board was approximately one metre long.
Thankfully, no one else was injured.
Feeling worried for other residents who might get hurt from more falling debris, Mr Chen moved a recycling bin to the area to stop others from using the path.
When a Shin Min Daily News reporter visited the scene on Tuesday night (29 Mar), they found that the ceiling board had been removed.
However, they still saw bits of wood on the ground.
Responding to MS News‘ queries, a spokesperson from the Jurong-Clementi Town Council said its officers responded to the incident at 5.30pm, and rectification works are currently ongoing.
Here is their statement in full:
A resident reported the incident of a dropped ceiling board from a linkway to the Town Council at 5pm on Tuesday, 29 March 2022. Our officers responded to the incident on the same day at 5.30 pm. They hoarded the area, cleared the board and also checked the other ceiling boards in the linkway to ensure they are not dislodged. Rectification work is currently in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of this week.
The incident should not have happened. The Town Council apologises to Mr Chen who was reported to have a near miss when the board fell when he was in the vicinity. The Town Council last checked the linkway’s ceiling boards on 16 March 2022 as part of the Town Council’s maintenance schedule. Preliminary observations indicate that the likely cause is because of water seepage through damaged roof tiles. As a result of this incident, the Town Council will inspect all high linkways with ceiling boards and follow up with remedial actions, where necessary. Town Council will also step up the frequency of the physical inspections as part of its maintenance schedule.
We would like to thank the resident who reported the incident and will be contacting Mr Chen to provide any help necessary to him.
Neighbourhood shelters are meant to protect us from the weather. Hence, it must’ve been a shock to Mr Chen when the ceiling board suddenly fell.
Nonetheless, kudos to him for taking the initiative to help warn others to be cautious and avoid using the same potentially dangerous path.
Meanwhile, we hope town councils will take the appropriate steps to ensure that such incidents don’t happen again.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
She had borrowed money from her brother for bus fare to attend the interview.
She goes to the river every day to find food to eat or sell.
Thanking Singaporeans, he bowed to the audience and received a standing ovation.
Netizens commended the water truck crew.
May Day is a day meant to celebrate workers' contributions towards Singapore's economy, NTUC said.
The Government needs to stop throwing pocket change at us and instead implement more radical…