A foreign worker from China fell off an eight-storey industrial factory development of Mega@Woodlands construction site which was run by Wee Hur Construction on Sunday (28 August).
A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman stated that the 33-year-old man was working as part of a team of workers who were installing formwork for a column on the seventh storey of the building. The victim was taken along one of the formwork panels when it fell over the edge of the building.
MOM is investigating the cause of the accident and all formwork and lifting operations at the site had been stopped.
“Employers and contractors are reminded to establish and effectively implement clear procedures to safely install and dismantle formwork. If lifted by a mobile or tower crane, a formwork panel should always be properly supported and secured prior to being released, to prevent accidental toppling,” the spokesman said.
Wee Hur Constructions spokesman added, “The deceased’s family has been notified and the company is arranging bereavement support to help the family tide through this difficult period. Wee Hur is committed to workplace safety and has instructed its safety officers, foremen and its sub-contractors to exercise greater caution at (the) worksite.”
This is the 49th case of death from working accident this year.
Minister for Manpower, Lim Swee Say had earlier said the workplace fatality rate went up this year as 48 people lost their lives so far during the year of 2016. He made the comment during the National Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Conference 2016 held at Suntec City Convention Centre on 24 August 2016.
Mr Lim stated that in 2004, the workplace fatality rate was 4.9 per 100,000 employed persons. The government launched WSH 2018 to bring the fatality rate to 1.8 by 2018 to be on par with developed countries’ standards, such as Australia and Japan. However, the improvement in performance was not sustained that the fatality rate went up from 1.8 in 2014 to 1.9 last year. This year, the fatality rate may even hit 2.2.
