2 workers die after being run over by tipper truck at TEL Mandai Depot worksite

SINGAPORE — Two workers, believed to have been napping after lunch, died in an accident at the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Mandai Depot worksite on Thursday (Nov 3).

Preliminary investigations by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) showed that they were run over by a tipper truck on Lorong Lada Hitam at around 1pm. The truck was reversing towards a work area in the depot, which was under construction, the MOM said in a statement. 

The 54-year-old male prime mover driver has been arrested for causing death by negligent act, said the police. Investigations are ongoing. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the accident at about 1.15pm and despatched two ambulances.

One of the workers, a 36-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other male worker, 47, was conveyed unconscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun, where he died from his injuries later in the day.

Both workers are from Bangladesh and employees of Gammon, a contractor responsible for fire protection and electrical works, said a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson. “LTA will work with Gammon Pte Ltd and Jurong Primewide Pte Ltd, the main contractor, to do what we can to assist the affected workers and their families.”

The LTA said it is assisting the MOM and police with investigations. 

The MOM said officers from its occupational safety and health inspectorate attended the scene immediately and have begun their investigations. All excavation works and movement of tipper trucks have been stopped at the accident location as the MOM conducts investigations. 

A spokesperson from Jurong Primewide, the firm overseeing the worksite, said: “We are working to assist the families of the deceased and providing our fullest cooperation to the authorities to investigate the accident.”

Workers at the site told TODAY that the two men were napping at the time, a habit common among some of them after lunch. 

Mr Paramesh Waran, 27, a worker on the same project, said that most workers would sleep in the nearby rest area. However, “some men” would still choose to sleep on the floor, another worker who identified himself as just Suresh, 38, said.

A 30-year-old worker from Jurong Primewide, who declined to be named because staff members are not allowed to speak to the press, said that the rest area was “20 to 30m” away. 

The space, which could take “80 to 90” workers, is insufficient to accommodate the 200 or so workers at the site, the employee said. That is why some workers will nap on the ground or return to their nearby dormitories to do so.

The employee, a Bangladeshi, said of the deaths: “I feel very shocked. When I (learnt of) the accident, I couldn’t work already.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CYNTHIA CHOO