Worker dies after fall from height at work site in Jurong
A migrant worker, 35, died on Monday after falling from the fourth storey of a food processing factory that was under construction.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the accident occurred at 22 Chin Bee Road, in Jurong.
The Indian national, employed by Success Engineering and Steel, was trying to board the platform of a boom lift from the fourth storey when he slipped and fell. He was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he died from his injuries. MOM said it is investigating the incident and has instructed Logistics Construction, the occupier of the work site, to stop all works there.
This is the second time Logistics Construction has been ordered to stop work at the work site this year. It was also told to do so from June 22 to July 9, according to MOM's website, which did not state a reason for the order.
The latest fatality takes the number of workplace deaths this year to at least 33, compared with 30 reported in the whole of last year.
According to the Workplace Safety and Health Council's code of practice for working safely at heights, mobile elevated work platforms like boom lifts are not specifically designed for people to enter or exit at a height. This should be considered as an option only if entry and exit at a height are not prohibited by the platform manufacturer, there are no other practical ways to access the floor or work area, and a thorough risk assessment has been conducted.
Workers should also be wearing safety harnesses with a lanyard that is properly anchored to the designated anchor point on the platform. They must be able to use a "100 per cent tie-off", a lanyard system that protects workers from falls while they are transferring from one anchor point to another.
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