Crane collapses in Hougang

Crane collapses in Hougang

SINGAPORE - The Myanmar worker was decorating a float when he heard a crash nearby.

Mr Kyaw Min Tun, 23, rushed out to the road from Block 28, Defu Lane, in Hougang, and saw about 10 men running out from the construction site across the road.

The boom of a crawler crane in the site had collapsed and lay in a twisted heap.

The crane's metal tracks even ended up in a vertical position.

"I was scared. I remember thinking that this site is not safe," Mr Kyaw, who has been working in the area for three years, told The New Paper.

One of the security officers from the site said that the accident occurred at about 1.25pm on Tuesday.

The officer, who did not want to be named, said that there were about 40 people on the second level of the building that is being constructed and about 10 people on the ground.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that the accident happened at Boustead Projects' worksite and that officers from MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Division responded immediately and were at the scene to investigate the situation.

Their findings showed that the crane operator was raising the crane jib, when the crane toppled backwards.

No injuries

There were no casualties in the collapse and lifting operations on the site have been halted. The project is slated for completion at the end of March next year.

A 28-year old Bangladeshi worker from a warehouse opposite the site, who wanted to be known as Mr Sazzad, said: "There are a lot of accidents at construction sites nowadays, it's very scary."

Since Monday last week, three workers have died and at least 13 have been injured in construction site accidents.

shereeni@sph.com.sg


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