MOM stepping up checks on construction sector after spike in workplace deaths

SINGAPORE — The number of workplace fatalities and serious injuries in the construction sector have crept up this year, with six out of 11 workers who died at work this year coming from the sector.

Of the six construction sector deaths, three are due to fall from heights. The spike in deaths, compared to just eight workplace fatalities over the same period last year, has drawn the attention of the Manpower Ministry (MOM), which is stepping up its checks on the constructor sector.  

Giving the latest numbers to reporters after a surprise enforcement operation on a construction worksite near Queenstown MRT Station on Monday (May 14), Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the construction sector is currently “over-represented” in workplace deaths.

Of the eight deaths recorded over the same period last year, only one was from the construction sector, compared to 6 out of 11 this year, he noted.

In MOM’s latest workplace safety and health statistics, which was also issued on Monday, the construction sector also showed an increase in the number of major injuries recorded, from 23 in the last quarter of 2017 to 35 in the first quarter of the year.

To prevent further spikes, 500 construction worksite inspections will be conducted between May and July, said Mr Zaqy. That is on top of some 200 inspections conducted between April and early May this year, which had already seen two stop-work orders issued and 50 fines totalling S$63,000 meted out. In all, 300 notices of non-compliance had been issued to over 100 companies.

Mr Zaqy, who was present for a surprise inspection at the construction site of Queens Peak condominium on Dundee Road in Queenstown, said MOM officers found that the nylon lifeline, to which workers are supposed to hook their safety harness, was placed at a perimeter of a six-storey multi-storey carpark that does not serve the purpose of fall arrest.

The fall clearance was inadequate, at 2.8m instead of 6.3m. The site was last inspected in July last year.

A stop-work order has been issued for all work at height activities at the 99-year leasehold site, which is building a two-tower 44-storey condominium with 736 units, until all contraventions are rectified.

China Jingye Construction Engineering is the contractor, and the project is being managed by MCC Land (Singapore), which was behind Resorts World Sentosa’s Universal Studios and a number of Housing and Development Board (HDB) built-to-order projects.

The site developer is Chinese firm Hao Yuan’s unit HY Realty, which clinched the highly contested 113,194sqf site with an aggressive bid of S$483.2 million in 2015 – 8 per cent higher than the second highest bid under the Government Land Sales programme.

The last fatal incident at a construction site took place on May 5 at a HDB construction site on Canberra Street, where a worker fell over the edge from the 13th floor while installing a precast column. Expand Construction is the main contractor in that project.

Despite the spike in numbers, Mr Zaqy said he is optimistic that Singapore will see a total workplace fatality rate of below 1.2 this year as “other sectors have gone low”.

“(Safety in the construction sector) is something we need to look into so our workers have a safe environment to work in,” added Mr Zaqy, who is also Minister of State for National Development. “We hope that employers are supportive and they will also look into more of the safety concerns of workers and look at being compliant to many of these regulations that we have put in.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has set a target of fewer than one workplace fatality per 10,000 workers before 2028 – a standard that is maintained by countries such as the Netherlands, Britain and Sweden. At present, MOM conducts 16,000 workplace inspections yearly on average, of which 3,000 are done at construction sites.

On Monday, the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL) also issued an advisory calling all worksites to conduct safety time-outs and review all of their safety measures immediately and thoroughly, with an emphasis on high-risk activities such as work at height, lifting operations and operations of heavy machinery.

Reminding its members of the “dire consequences of poor safety”, SCAL said: “Lives are lost and families cruelly affected (while) stop-work orders would be imposed by (MOM).”

On top of facing possible delays in construction schedule, a minimum three-week stop-work order could translate to an estimated S$75,000 loss in wages for every 100 workers the contractors employ, it said. The contractors could also jeopardise their work pass privileges of hiring new foreign workers, and face the possibility of being barred from tendering for public sector projects for a period of time, SCAL added.

Deputy chairman of WSH Council’s Construction and Landscape Committee, Mr Pek Lian Guan, also urged all companies to “stay vigilant at all times”.

“For employers, take time to do your management walkabouts to observe and review work activities. For workers, take time to check for potential hazards such as open sides and drink enough water to stay hydrated,” said Mr Pek.

“No matter how busy we are at work, we must not forget to take care of ourselves and those around us.”