Singapore – A large ceiling fan at a Tampines coffee shop was dislodged from its position after being hit by a ladder, its blades hitting a signboard and injuring nearby diners.
On Thursday (Oct 29), Facebook user Raven Qui shared photos of the incident to Complaint Singapore’s page. According to the post, the accident happened at Tampines Block 201 Triangle coffee shop on Oct 28.
In a separate account, mothership.sg highlighted witnesses claims that a ladder had hit the ceiling fan’s blades, causing it to spin out of control. The fan was under repair, hence the tall stepladder that was spotted nearby. However, the workers had proceeded to turn on the ceiling fan for testing without moving the ladder out of the way.
According to an eyewitness, “the workers eventually closed the ladder, which made the height of it slightly taller compared to when it was opened.” The workers presumably lost control of the ladder, and it fell, hitting the fan in the process, said the witness.
After impact, the ceiling fan allegedly hit a signboard which got dislodged and flew in the direction of nearby diners. A portion of the signboard removed by the fan’s blades could be seen in the photos uploaded by Mr Qui.
Another photo shows a man who had been hit on the back of his head by the flying debris. He was being assisted by his mother, according to the eyewitness. It was mentioned that workers from the coffeeshop promptly helped the injured diners in any way they could.
Fortunately, the diners had evacuated the premises before the blades of the fan broke off and flew around. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had arrived at the scene after receiving a call for assistance at Block 201D Tampines Street 21 at about 7:10 pm. Two individuals, a 20-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman were brought to Changi General Hospital for medical assistance, said the SCDF. Investigations are ongoing.
In response to the post, members from the online community urged diners to avoid sitting near areas with large ceiling fans as it could cause harm if not properly secured or maintained. Others noted that maintenance work should be conducted during off-hours and not when there are diners on the premises.