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SINGAPORE: Construction companies have been urged to conduct a “comprehensive” time-out exercise at their workplaces, following three workplace fatalities in two days this week.
On Friday (November 27) the Council for Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) and the Singapore Contractors Association (SCAL) called for a review of safety protocols, who said they were “deeply concerned “for the recent avalanche of works. fatalities.
The first of the three incidents occurred on Monday.
A worker was raising the work platform of a lift platform when he became trapped between the lift platform railing and a structural member of the roof, according to a bulletin on the WSH Council website.
The worker was rescued and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
On Tuesday, a worker was checking formwork panels at a construction site when he lost his balance and fell about 0.8m to the ground. The worker was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
The third incident involved a worker assigned the task of conducting arc welding on a pipeline on Tuesday.
To facilitate welding work, an inert gas was previously introduced into the pipe. “The worker was subsequently found unconscious with his upper body inside the opening of an adjoining pipe,” the WSH accident notice said.
He was declared dead at the hospital.
The Ministry of Manpower is investigating the incidents.
READ: More Fatal Work Injuries Despite Decreased Work Activities Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
A security timeout involves reviewing construction activities and security protocols.
This includes checking the stability of structures, as well as inspecting machinery, electrical installations and storage of materials and any hazardous chemicals.
“The recent accidents are a strong reminder not to overlook the importance of WSH practices in the workplace,” WSH Board President John Ng said in a press release.
“After a period of hiatus due to COVID-19, workers may have lowered their safety awareness and become less aware of safe operating procedures,” he added.
“Conducting a safety timeout exercise now will help industry stakeholders review all existing WSH provisions and address any potential failures.”
SCAL President Ng Yek Meng said the association urges “all construction companies to step back to verify and ensure that all safety processes are in place.”
He noted that many supervisors and workers have just returned to workplaces after the “circuit breaker”, adding that “some complacency” may have been established or that safety processes could have been bypassed.
“Therefore, it is critical that employers conduct security downtimes to remember and reinforce the culture of security across all staff at their site,” he said.
