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SINGAPORE – A company plan to have physical partitions installed in the back of a truck so that safe distance can be guaranteed while workers are transported during the Covid-19 outbreak, authorities have given the go-ahead . A video of the vehicle made the rounds online.
Authorities explained that the setup was not secure and asked the company to review its plan.
The clip was part of a demonstration video and a proposal sent by a construction company to the Ministry of Human Resources (MOM) for consultation on Tuesday (May 12), MOM and the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) told The Straits Times in a joint statement on Thursday.
It is understood that the clip was taken in the workshop of the company, the local construction company Shin Khai Construction, and shows the rear car of a truck with physical dividers to separate the workers sitting there. The configuration has not yet been put into use.
After the video was posted online, it received criticism from some netizens, who said the way the workers had to sit in compartments created by the dividers was not dignified. Some added that workers could be at greater risk of injury if an accident occurred.
However, some said that partitions were a cost-effective way for the company to continue transporting its employees.
Last month, the government announced stricter safe distancing measures to reduce the local spread of Covid-19. The measures aim to significantly reduce physical movement and interactions of people. This means that employers and truck owners must take safe distance measures in the back of trucks.
MOM and LTA said Thursday that the ministry contacted the company Wednesday about the video, clarifying that the truck’s proposed partition configuration was not secure.
“MOM and LTA have collectively assessed that any sudden movement while traveling on the roads could displace the partitions and endanger the occupants as well as other road users,” authorities said.
They added that they informed the company of their evaluation and advised them to review their plan.
Shin Khai Construction on Thursday acknowledged the concerns of netizens in a Facebook post and apologized for the matter.
“The company was trying to find solutions in the midst of this crisis and the partitioned truck agreement in the demo video was one of them,” the company said.
The publication indicated that the company faced difficulties as it had to comply with the rules for safe distancing, and its truck capacity was reduced from 23 people to six.
Shin Khai Construction said it was advised to take more trips to transport its workers if necessary.
The publication also stated that the company hoped to propose its truck partition design to authorities so that it could increase the transport capacity of its truck from six people to 12.
This would allow the company to reduce wait times for workers, among other things, such as avoiding delays, he said.
When contacted, Shin Khai Construction clarified that there was no incident resulting from the truck’s partitioning arrangement, as it was an internal prototype that he was working on due to the coronavirus situation.
“However, as it is a prototype, we cannot provide further comments (currently),” the company added. He also thanked people for their comments on the matter.
In the truck video, Labor Deputy Zainal Sapari said he understood the company’s intent behind the prototype, but had to ensure that the proposal was in line with the guidelines.
“In the event of an accident, I can understand why there are some concerns that such a structure would make it more dangerous for the passenger. Personally, I think such partitions may not be necessary,” he said.
Mr. Zainal added that the company must guarantee the necessary safeguards for its workers, such as taking the temperature, making sure they wear masks and advising them to keep a safe distance during the trip.
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