Safety first: Man seen working on top of ladder at Seletar Mall counselled over safety concerns

Safety first: Man seen working on top of ladder at Seletar Mall counselled over safety concerns
Workplace safety is a growing concern as there have been 44 work-related deaths so far this year.
PHOTO: Stomp

Safety first.

Seletar Mall management has asked a staff member who was seen working on top of a ladder to stop work over safety concerns and counselled him.

Stomp contributor Mikael shared a photo of the man on the A frame ladder being held by three other people near the My Briyani House outlet at the mall on Dec 7 at around 5.30pm.

"The guy perched on top of the roof while trying to come down the ladder is part of the maintenance team of Seletar Mall," said the Stomp contributor.

"This is the second time that I have seen men working on this same roof which is estimated to be more than 3m high without the necessary safety precautions as stipulated in the Workplace Safety & Health Regulations."

The regulations state: "Where a fixed vertical ladder used by any person carrying out any work in a workplace rises a vertical distance of more than 3m, there shall be provided a safety cage or other practicable measures to prevent fall of the person."

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesman for Seletar Mall said: "Our maintenance team was responding to a maintenance issue. The management had asked the staff involved to halt his activity as soon as we took notice of the safety concerns.

"We value the safety of our workers and shoppers highly. The management will continue to emphasise the importance of safety regulations to our workers, and the staff involved will be counselled. We will also augment our efforts in monitoring the safety of our mall and employees."

[[nid:609411]]

The mall added that it would like to thank the Stomp contributor for writing in.

"We urge the public to notify us immediately should they spot any issue of concern, to allow us to take swift action. Together, our mall will be a safe place for all."

Workplace safety is a growing concern as there have been 44 work-related deaths so far this year, the highest number since 2016, when there were 66 such deaths.

Earlier in 2022, the Ministry of Manpower had put in place tougher sanctions to curb a recent rise in workplace deaths.

This included a six-month heightened safety period from Sept 1, 2022 to Feb 28, 2023 during which companies will be barred from hiring new foreign workers for up to three months if severe lapses are found following a serious or fatal workplace accident.

So far, at least two companies have been barred from hiring new workers under this heightened safety rule.

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.