A 28-year-old Bangladeshi worked died after a HDB lift that was in the midst of upgrading works apparently fell from the fifth to first floor on Monday night (14 January) in Chai Chee Road.
The worker was part of the team that was carrying out lift replacement works at Block 805. They have been transporting debris from the fifth to the ground floor, said a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman.
The worker was subsequently found inside the lift on the ground floor with injuries.
Based on an article by Shin Min Daily, other workers on site heard shouts and rushed to the lift immediately, and found the victim in the lift, who had lost consciousness by then.
Paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force was called and they pronounced him dead at the scene.
The MOM is currently investigating the incident and has stopped all lift upgrading works at the site.
The contractor for the upgrading works – which began on 4 January – is Chevalier Singapore Holdings and the worker’s employer is Tc Builder & Machinery.
A resident by the name Mrs Lee told Shin Min Daily that the lift maintenance works created a lot of noise. The 53-year-old resident who is self-employed said she heard a loud bang that sounded like a heavy object had fallen to the ground from a height. However, she didn’t expect that such a serious accident had taken place.
On social media, netizens poured their condolences. Sameo Lor mentioned that he had seen countless times where workers used resident’s lift to transport debris, instead of the heavy duty construction lifts.
On the other hand, Kenneth Tan questioned the kind of protections migrant workers get in Singapore in case such an unfortunate incident takes place.
In response to his inquiry, Benson Fong Yow Fook said that it is compulsory and the company must buy a Workmen’s Compensation insurance.
