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More than 100 sites to halt work in ‘safety time-out’

SINGAPORE — Following a spate of construction accidents in recent weeks, more than 100 sites will halt work and conduct safety checks today as part of a voluntary “safety time-out” initiated by the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL).

SINGAPORE — Following a spate of construction accidents in recent weeks, more than 100 sites will halt work and conduct safety checks today as part of a voluntary “safety time-out” initiated by the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL).

SCAL President Ho Nyok Yong said: “One accident is too many. We want to make our members more vigilant, and do our part to mitigate the accidents.”

More than 150 sites had pledged to be part of the safety time-out, with about three quarters of the sites indicating that they will halt work today. The remaining sites will do so at their own discretion within the week ahead.

During the time-out, which is supported by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workplace Safety and Health Council, sites will conduct their own review of workplace safety and health systems and processes.

Senior management personnel will also visit the sites and emphasise the importance of safety to the workers. If necessary, safety workshops will also be conducted on the sites.

The time-out will last between a couple of hours — for smaller sites — and an entire day.

Dr Ho said: “With the significant increase in construction activities, we are concerned about whether established safety practices are being closely adhered to and if there are gaps which could be possible causes for accidents.”

On Tuesday, a crane toppled at a site at Defu Lane. No one was hurt.

However, prior to the latest accident, there were four reported accidents on worksites in 11 days. On Oct 2, five construction workers were injured after a scaffolding collapsed outside a Toa Payoh North factory building that was being upgraded.

On Sept 30, two workers were killed and four injured when a crane toppled at the construction site of the National Art Gallery, near the Padang.

The spate of accidents prompted the MOM to issue a statement urging employers to proactively carry out thorough risk assessments and enforce safety measures for their workers.

SCAL, which has more than 2,500 members, last conducted a nationwide safety time-out in August last year as a reminder of the importance of workplace safety and health. In May, it also initiated a voluntary time-out to allow inspections to be conducted at construction sites for mosquito-breeding sites amid the dengue epidemic.

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