Last year, we, unfortunately, saw too many worksite accidents, with at least 30 of them being fatal.
It’s been just over a week into the new year, and there’s now been 1 more incident.
A worker fell 2 stories from the ceiling of Chinatown Point right into the middle of the mall busy with Chinese New Year shoppers.
Thankfully, he was conscious when taken to hospital.
The accident occurred at 3.27pm on Sunday (9 Jan), said Perennial (Singapore) Retail Management Pte Ltd, the building’s management.
The worker, a 28-year-old man, was carrying out “scheduled works”, Perennial said in a statement sent to MS News.
He was in a restricted access area on level 4 when he fell, landing on the corridor on level 2.
A video posted by netizen Kurt Tay showed what appeared to be the worker lying face down on the floor, surrounded by people assisting him.
A gaping triangular-shaped hole can be seen in the ceiling right above him, which is presumably where he fell from.
From a close-up photo of the hole posted by Singapore Atrium Sale on Facebook, the hole seems big enough for a human being to fall through.
A triangular piece of the ceiling was also found on the floor.
Though he technically fell 2 floors from level 4 to 2, it’s clear that he actually fell from the ceiling of level 4 and landed on the floor of level 2.
Thus, he actually plunged a distance of 3 whole floors.
Perennial said a security officer rendered assistance immediately, while an ambulance was called.
The video shows several people, including what appears to be security personnel, coming to the man’s aid.
Later, several officers wearing personal protective equipment arrive and turn the man over onto his back.
They load him onto a stretcher and take him away.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that they were alerted to an incident at 133 New Bridge Road – the address of Chinatown Point – at 3.30pm.
1 person was taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) at 3.34pm, Perennial added.
Fortunately, he was in a conscious state.
Nobody else was injured in the incident.
The mall has closed off the “incident area” on Level 4, and Perennial is working closely with the relevant authorities to investigate the incident.
As the probe is still ongoing, it’s unwise to speculate over what caused the accident.
Even so, we hope workers and companies will practise better safety protocols to avoid mishaps like these.
After all, any worksite accident at all is simply one too many.
MS News wishes the injured worker a speedy recovery.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured images adapted from Kurt Tay on YouTube and Singapore Atrium Sale on Facebook.
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