SINGAPORE – The mast of a deep soil mixing machine toppled at a Housing Board project site in Towner Road on Saturday (July 30) morning.
No one was injured in the workplace accident which took place at about 9.30am, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in response to queries.
A team of three workers employed by L&M Foundation Specialist was performing checks on the machine when its mast detached and fell, MOM said.
Photographs of the accident shared on social media showed that the toppled mast had also brought down some of the metal barriers surrounding the work site, which is occupied by He Zhan Construction.
A large part of the mast can also be seen strewn on the road outside the construction site.
MOM said it is investigating the accident.
It added: “As a general safety measure, machinery must be operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and maintained regularly.”
The accident comes as the issue of workplace safety has continued to come under close scrutiny here, with Manpower Minister Tan See Leng this week urging companies and workers to get back on track in achieving high workplace safety and health standards.
In a later interview with The Straits Times, Dr Tan said monitoring in work sites has been stepped up in response to the recent spate of fatal accidents.
There were 31 work-related deaths this year, the most over the same period since 2016 and exceeding the 30 worker deaths recorded in the whole of 2020.
In a signal that there is grave concern over the death toll, Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong will speak on workplace safety for up to 20 minutes in an adjournment motion at the end of next Monday’s parliamentary sitting, with Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad set to reply.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.