Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

2 workers taken to hospital after being rescued from tilting gondola at Boon Lay HDB block

SINGAPORE — Two workers had a narrow escape on Thursday (May 11) morning, after the support system holding up the gondola they were standing in suddenly gave way.

Gondola hanging from Block 199 Boon Lay Drive on May 11, 2023. Photo: Leonard Leong/TODAY

Gondola hanging from Block 199 Boon Lay Drive on May 11, 2023. Photo: Leonard Leong/TODAY

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
  • Two workers had a narrow escape on Thursday (May 11) when the support system for the gondola they were working in at a public housing block suddenly gave way
  • One of the stranded workers was pulled through a 14th floor window by a resident
  • The second worker was rescued from a ledge on the 15th floor by Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel
  • Both men were taken to the hospital and have since been discharged

SINGAPORE — Two workers had a narrow escape on Thursday (May 11) morning, after the support system holding up the gondola they were standing in suddenly gave way.

With the gondola tilting sharply to the side on the 15th floor of Block 199 Boon Lay Drive, one of the workers was rescued by a resident through the window, while another worker could be seen stranded on a ledge until rescuers arrived.

They were both taken to the hospital, said the West Coast Town Council, which is in charge of the public housing block, in response to TODAY's queries.

The town council added that the gondola tilted to its side after the support system set up by the contractor at the roof had "given way".

A portion of the concrete parapet on the roof of the block, where the support system was installed, appeared to be dislodged.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a request for assistance at 8.10am, according to a report by CNA.

Upon the SCDF’s arrival at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) block, a worker was seen on the ledge of the 15th storey next to a "lopsided gondola". 

The worker was brought in safely through a unit's windows on the 15th floor by SCDF officers. 

Another worker was also brought to safety through the windows of a separate unit on the 14th floor by a member of the public prior to SCDF's arrival, the SCDF said.

TODAY spoke to the sister of the man who pulled one of the workers through the window of the siblings' 14th floor flat. She wished to be known only as Ms Kam.

“When I came out, I saw my brother opening the window grill, holding onto a worker who was grabbing onto a window grill, while his legs were kind of tangled with the cables,” said Ms Kam, 25, an administrative assistant.

“After he managed to untangle himself from the cables, we just opened the window for him to come in.”

The siblings were able to help the worker in, before giving him a glass of water, which he asked for.

Ms Kam added that he later left with another colleague, who approached them at their 14th-floor unit.

She said that her brother did not wish to speak to the media.

Both workers were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for treatment and have since been discharged and given medical leave, the West Coast Town Council said.

It said the affected area has been cordoned off.

"Representatives from the Town Council, HDB, and the contractor are on site to assess the situation, ensure public safety, and recover the gondola," said the town council.

HDB has also inspected the building and confirmed that it is structurally safe, the statement added.

“Our priority is the safety and well-being of residents and the workers. The town council will work with the relevant agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.”

EYEWITNESSES

Ms Kam told TODAY that she was working in her 14th floor room at about 8am, when she heard a loud noise that turned out to be her brother pulling the worker through the window.

She added that the workers had first knocked on their unit's door sometime after 7am to inform them to close their windows, as the workers were preparing to wash the block.

“Funny, earlier they were banging the door to tell us to close the windows, and then (later) we had to open the window for them to come in,” said Ms Kam.

Three other residents TODAY spoke with said they were alerted to the incident when they heard a loud sound at about 8am on Thursday.

Mr Donald Quah, a 56-year-old resident of the 12th floor of the same block, said he had a heard a “boom” accompanied by a bit of vibration. 

When Mr Quah went to see what happened, he saw a worker stuck on the ledge, holding a water jet. 

He was speaking in a foreign language, and communicating with another worker on the rooftop, said Mr Quah, adding that he did not see how the workers were rescued.

Another resident, 76-year-old retiree Tan Yang Keng, said that their block of flats was currently undergoing washing, prior to being repainted. 

Speaking to TODAY in Mandarin, Ms Tan said that she had heard a very loud crash, and opened her living room window to see what had happened.

She saw the two workers stuck on the gondola, which was tilted at a 45-degree angle.

Hairstylist Lee Ah Nam, 67, told TODAY in Mandarin that she was watching the workers wash the exterior of the flat in the morning. After a while, she left the window and went to sit down.

Madam Lee said that about 10 minutes later, she heard loud sounds similar to rocks falling.

When she went to see what happened, she saw the workers in the gondola that was tilted at a 45-degree angle.

She added that the two workers were shouting in a foreign language she could not understand, and that they seemed like they were panicking.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY, ENGINEERING EXPERTS WEIGH IN

A spokesperson for the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Friday (May 12) that it was alerted to the incident on Thursday, and that its engineers were immediately despatched to assess the building's safety.

“BCA’s engineers found there was localised damage on a stretch of concrete roof parapet (fascia). The affected parapet was partly supporting a gondola that was being used for painting the building facade,” said BCA.

The authority added that it had directed the West Coast Town Council to stop the gondola operations at another block with similar temporary gondola supports. 

“The building owner will be required to engage a professional engineer to carry out a detailed investigation of both blocks and recommend any necessary rectification works,” added BCA.

EXPERTS WEIGH IN

Mr David Ng, honorary secretary at the Institution of Engineers Singapore, said it was “unusual” for the parapet to have collapsed in such a way.

In a normal parapet wall design, the concrete would typically be reinforced with steel bars that are cast within the concrete, and designed with certain loading conditions.

“In a normal case, it is quite unusual that it would just give way, because the location where they fix the gondola support would usually have to be checked by engineers and determined by the engineer that it’s a suitable location to place the gondola hanger,” Mr Ng said.

He added that not all parapets are designed for this purpose. Some parapets may be purely aesthetic, and not designed to take any load, he said.

Dr Goh Yang Miang, assistant dean at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) College of Design and Engineering and director of the Centre for Project and Facilities Management at NUS’ Department of the Built Environment advised caution.

He said: “The company should engage a professional engineer (PE) to check whether the parapet wall can take the load. If necessary, the PE will put in additional measures such as tiebacks and counterweights to ensure that the system will not fail. The main thing is to get a PE to assess,” he said.

Mr Ng added that there are usually two steps to the process of engineering checks.

The first is to check the support for the gondola hanger, which is related to the structure of the building.

“That one will need a civil and structural engineer to check whether it is the right location to mount or to secure the hanger which is supporting the gondola.”

The second step is to check the gondola system itself, including its gears and motors for lifting.

Mr Ng added that this check would be carried out by a mechanical engineer, who has to confirm that the gondola system is safe for the lifting operation.

Mr Chong Kee Sen, emeritus president at the Institution of Engineers Singapore, said that a gondola has to be registered under provisions of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

An authorised examiner, who is a specialist professional mechanical engineer, would have to carry out certain tests – including a visual inspection, a load test, and a test of the gondola’s hoisting system – before registering the gondola.

This would contribute to its safety, ensuring that a failure does not occur during the use of a gondola, added Mr Chong.

He said that to prevent future incidents, it is important to also ensure that the wall intended to support and hold the weight of the gondola is diligently checked.

BUILDING’S STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY NOT AFFECTED

Engineering experts also told TODAY that the parapet’s collapse was unlikely to have a significant bearing on the building’s structural integrity, given that it happened on the roof of the block of flats.

“The parapet wall is at the top of the roof and not taking most of the building’s load, so it’s less likely for it to affect the structural integrity of the building as a whole,” Dr Goh said.

“However, a professional engineer still needs to check the building to be sure that the building is safe,” he added.

Collapse to view

Related topics

town council Boon Lay gondola

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.