Despite the assurance to step up safety at worksites, workplace accidents, a significant number of which were fatal, have still been occurring quite often.
Last Wednesday (6 Jul), another such incident happened at a worksite in Pasir Ris when a Singaporean worker was struck by a “timber fragment”.
Source: Google Maps
The worker sadly succumbed to his injuries a week later on 13 Jul.
Responding to MS News’ queries, a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesperson shared that the incident happened at about 10am last Wednesday (6 Jul) at a worksite along Pasir Ris Drive 1.
A “timber fragment” of an undisclosed size had apparently broken off from a piece of plywood used in a pile load test.
The fragment, unfortunately, struck a 51-year-old Singaporean worker who was at the site.
He was conveyed to the nearby Changi General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a week later on 13 Jul.
MOM stated that they’re investigating the incident and had ordered the piling contractor to halt all activities “relating to pile testing”.
The manpower ministry added that for activities where “flying fragments” are common, companies should take steps to prevent such fragments from hitting individuals or causing property damage.
This incident sadly marks the 30th workplace fatality this year.
Out of these 28 occurred in the first six months of 2022 alone. This is almost twice the number in the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
The slew of workplace accidents had also led to PM Lee calling for a 2-week safety time-out in May.
During the period, companies had to reinforce their workplace and safety health processes.
The slew of fatal workplace accidents in the recent months is certainly concerning.
Despite the frequency of these reports, we hope such accidents will not be reduced to mere statistics. More importantly, we hope that the authorities and companies alike will continue working on ensuring the safety of all workers.
Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased. May he rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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