Construction worker killed, another injured, after crane collapses
A construction worker was killed and another injured after a construction crane collapsed yesterday morning.
The incident happened at a Ministry of Health (MOH) development site in Novena - a 17-storey rehabilitation complex with more than 500 beds, which will be part of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call for assistance in Jalan Tan Tock Seng at 8.50am.
The Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) confirmed that the dead worker was a 28-year-old Indian employed by LKT Contractors.
The police said he was found motionless and was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by SCDF paramedics.
The injured man is a 35-year-old Bangladeshi, hired by BHCC Construction. He is believed to have suffered a leg fracture and was taken to TTSH.
Both firms are subcontractors for the project.
MOM said a part of the 40m tall tower crane - the jib or horizontal beam - had failed during a lifting operation.
The two men were on the ground floor of the worksite when they were hit by falling material.
Workers at the site told The New Paper that the incident happened after the daily morning safety briefing.
"We were doing very light work, the crane was carrying only around 300kg of scaffolding material. For construction (crane), 300kg is considered very light," said a construction manager who declined to be named.
Another worker, who was close to where the crane was, said: "I heard an unusual noise from the crane before it crashed.
"I immediately ran across the road, fearing for my safety. From what I know, the operation was to hoist scaffolding pipes when the accident happened."
A resident living nearby, who wanted to be known only as Ms Goh, had full view of the site.
The 33-year-old consultant said: "I saw the crane wobbling after the accident, with the crane operator still inside.
"I saw pedestrians running away. I was scared it would fall on my building, but thankfully it did not."
Ms Goh added that she saw the crane operator climb down safely about 25 minutes after the incident.
An MOH spokesman said: "We are deeply saddened that one worker has died and another worker is injured from the incident.
"We are now working with the main contractor Kajima Overseas Asia (Singapore) to render assistance to the deceased worker's family, as well as to the injured worker."
Both MOH and MOM are working together to investigate the cause of the incident. Work has been halted at the site.
The construction of the complex started in March 2017 and is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
Seventeen workers died on the job from January to June this year, down from 18 in the same period last year and 23 in the second half of last year, MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council said in September.
Six of the 17 deaths this year took place at construction sites.
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