Worker killed in freak accident on windy day

SINGAPORE - A construction worker fell 19 storeys to his death after he was hit by a prefabricated bathroom unit being lifted by a tower crane on Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened at an HDB construction site at Fernvale Street in Sengkang at about 2.30pm.

The New Paper understands that the bathroom unit was being lifted by a tower crane guided by two workers, when the unit suddenly swung and struck one of them, causing him to fall off.

Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported that the abrupt swinging of the bathroom unit was due to strong winds.

According to data from the Meteorological Services Singapore, recent wind gust speeds have hit up to 72kmh, about twice the average wind speed.

The prefabricated bathroom unit weighed 8 tonnes, which is about as heavy as an adult elephant.

The worker, a Chinese national, was believed to have had his safety harness on, but it is unclear if the harness was anchored.

Lifting operations stopped

The Ministry of Manpower sent officers to investigate the worksite and instructed the construction company, Qingjian International Group, to stop all lifting operations at the location.

When TNP visited the worksite yesterday, the workers there declined to comment on the accident.

Shin Min reported the victim was Mr Liu De Bao, 40, who came here to work five years ago from Shandong province in China.

A colleague who wanted to be known only as Mr Gao, 43, said that Mr Liu was a hard-working and careful man.

He said he left behind a wife, a 15-year-old son and a 70-year-old mother.

"His wife doesn't work. He was the sole breadwinner and spent very little so that he could send more money home."

Mrs Liu has received the news but she did not dare tell her mother-in-law, he said.

"Both his wife and son are devastated, but they are afraid his mother will not take the news well."

Mrs Liu is applying for a visa to come to Singapore to make funeral arrangements, but is likely to do so until after Chinese New Year, Mr Gao added.

tnp@sph.com.sg

Extra precaution

With the recent strong winds, construction companies have been taking precautions to ensure workers' safety.

Mr Kannaiyan Rakan Babu, a safety manager at Feng Ming Construction, said: "Safety harnesses are important. We ensure that everyone working above ground level wears one."

He also emphasised the importance of anchoring loose materials and structures so that they are not swayed by strong winds.

"We use water-filled barriers, sand bags and barricades secured to permanent structures to prevent movement," said Mr Babu.

A safety manager at Yau Lee Construction, Mr Tan Kian Tiong, said strong winds can cause other dangers like dust and sand.

"Sand or dust can get into the eyes of the workers, causing them to trip and hurt themselves," he said.

"We ensure they have proper equipment such as goggles and we spray water to control the dust."

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