Worker, 39, dies after prime mover parked on ramp runs over him
A 39-year-old foreign worker died on Wednesday morning (April 27) after he was run over by a prime mover at Yishun Industrial Street 1.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the worker, an Indian national, had parked the vehicle on a ramp along the driveway of an occupier's premises before alighting from it.
"A short while later, the prime mover started to roll forward and the worker ran towards the front of the vehicle. Unfortunately, he was run over by it," said the MOM spokesman.
The police said they were alerted to the fatal accident at around 8am.
"(The worker) was found motionless and pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic," they said.
Investigations are ongoing.
MOM said that Ocean IFM, a property management company, is the occupier of the premises where the accident happened. The worker's employer is transportation service company City Containers (S).
"As a general safety measure, heavy vehicles should be parked on firm and level ground, with parking brakes fully engaged and wheel chokes properly positioned," the ministry said.
With Wednesday's accident, 15 workplace deaths that have occurred so far this year. Last year, there were 37 workplace deaths, compared with 30 in 2020 and 39 in 2019.
The top causes of workplace fatalities last year were vehicular-related accidents, in which 11 workers died; falls from height, which killed eight workers; and fires and explosions, which caused five deaths.
MOM also said in March that it intends to introduce heftier fines against offenders and companies that fail to ensure machinery is used safely, particularly in the manufacturing industry, in order to stem workplace fatalities and injuries.
The ministry will also increase surveillance at workplaces with noise hazards and exposure to hazardous chemicals, and expand safety training for new workers.
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