31-year-old Singaporean dies after machine collapses on him, 45th workplace fatality in 2022

A 31-year-old Singaporean died after he was hit and pinned down by a machine that toppled over on Tuesday (Dec 27), said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The fatal accident happened at 601 Rifle Range Road at 7:53 am, bringing the number of workplace fatalities in 2022 to 45.

The man was reportedly struck by a machine being transferred by a forklift. He was unconscious while conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

“When using forklifts, it is critical to ensure that the forks are inserted underneath the load, and the load is stable before being raised for transfer,” said a MOM spokesperson. “This is to prevent any accidental toppling of the load.”

MOM has instructed the occupier of the site, ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering, to stop all lifting operations. “Workplace fatalities have spiked 65 per cent in the first half of 2022, compared to the same period in 2019,” said MOM in a Facebook post earlier this year.

According to a Talking Point episode featured on mewatch.sg, more inspections are implemented to minimize such accidents. The surprise worksite inspection conducted by MOM in the episode highlighted multiple breaches, from protruding nails to improper storage of materials at the construction site.

From Sept 1, 2022, to Feb 28, 2023, MOM has called for six months of heightened safety due to the high rate of workplace fatalities. Companies with higher-risk sectors were required to conduct a mandatory safety time-out to review safety protocols during the heightened safety period.

The Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce (MAST) was also introduced as part of the heightened safety measures to examine and strengthen sectoral safety practices and outcomes.

“We are focusing on key sectors such as Construction, Manufacturing, Transport & Storage and Marine, amongst others. With a better appreciation of each sector’s unique operating context and risks, we can then put in place sector-based measures to complement MOM’s broad-based measures,” said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad in a Facebook post on Oct 14.

MAST will provide an update on the measures implemented in the second quarter of 2023. /TISG

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