Construction worker dies after wall falls on him

A 47-year-old construction worker died yesterday after a pre-fabricated wall panel he was installing at an uncompleted condominium in Dairy Farm Road toppled and fell on him.

Another worker, 46, who attempted to assist the dead man, sustained light injuries and was taken to hospital. Both men are Chinese nationals.

The construction company, Tiong Aik Construction, has been ordered by the Manpower Ministry (MOM) to stop its installation of pre- fabricated wall panels at the Skywoods condominium. The condo developer is Bukit Timah Green Development.

The police said they received a call at 11.36am yesterday. Paramedics who responded pronounced the man dead at the scene.

MOM, when contacted, said it was informed of the incident by the police.

"Preliminary findings indicate that two workers were assigned to install a 3m-high pre-fabricated Acotec Panel System wall panel. During the installation, the wall panel toppled and fell on one of them. The worker succumbed to his injuries", the MOM spokesman said.

"Another worker was treated for light injuries that he sustained when he attempted to assist the deceased worker."

The police are investigating the unnatural death. MOM investigations are also ongoing.

Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, companies that fail to take reasonable measures to ensure the safety and health of their workers can be fined up to $500,000 for a first offence.

There were 17 fatalities in the construction sector in the first half of this year, an spike of over 50 per cent over the same period last year.

amirh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 19, 2014.
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