TL;DR – Workplace accidents and workplace fatalities ARE preventable, and they SHOULD be prevented.
It has been reported that another worker succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on Wednesday (13 July).
The worker, a 51-year-old Singaporean, was hit by a timber fragment when it broke from a piece of plywood that was used in a pile load test.
The accident happened on July 6 at about 10am at Pasir Ris Drive 1, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement and the authorities are currently investigating the incident.
The issue that deserves more attention – Workplace Fatalities
This unfortunate incident takes the number of workplace fatalities in 2022 to 30. Earlier this month, a 35-year-old worker died in a forklift accident at a Housing Board project site at Keat Hong Link.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong, who advocates for workplace safety and health, took to his Facebook post to express his concern over the occurrence of such workplace accidents which had happened one after another, resulting in the tragic loss of precious lives.
Such workplace accidents are preventable, the labour MP added.
The labour MP said,
“Companies and workers must take in valuable lessons from past accidents and take a serious stand to manage workplace risks to prevent future reoccurrences as one life lost is one too many. I would like to remind every company, every supervisor and every worker to practise and internalise good workplace safety and health (WSH) so that everyone can return home safely. WSH is a collective effort.”
He opined that instead of penalising companies for having poor WSH practices, it is also important that companies equip every worker with adequate knowledge of WSH guidelines to prevent more accidents from happening. Every company should also have an appointed WSH representative and prioritise WSH at the workplace as this is a collaborative effort to keep workers safe, he added.
He then concluded his post by urging all companies, to work closely with NTUC to enhance their WSH practices.
Indeed, one life lost is one too many. Companies and workers alike should do all it takes to prevent such tragedy from happening again.