Bangladeshi migrant worker dies after forklift accident in Sungei Kadut, leaves behind baby daughter

A migrant worker from Bangladesh working at a salvage yard in Sungei Kadut was struck in the neck by a forklift and later died of his wounds.

The Straits Times understands the forklift driver at Beng Cheng Metal did not call for an ambulance after the incident on April 16, which happened at around 10am.

He used his own car to rush Mr Biswas Sanjay Kumar, 37, to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where the worker succumbed to his injuries on April 22, said Mr Alvin Lim, one of the directors of the company.

“He (Mr Biswas) had been with the company for only one month, so it’s very unfortunate. It was an accident, and we are still in shock,” he added.

Mr Lim said that on the day of the accident, Mr Biswas, who was hired as a driver, was shouting out instructions to the forklift driver operating the machine.

The forklift driver only suspected something was amiss when Mr Biswas went quiet. He then found the Bangladeshi lying on the ground.

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Mr Lim said: “The (forklift driver) had a car and when he saw what happened, he panicked. He thought the best and fastest way was to take him (Mr Biswas) to hospital himself.”

A spokesman for the police, who are investigating the incident, said they received a call for assistance from the hospital at 10.40am on April 16, around 40 minutes after the accident.

In response to queries from ST, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said Mr Biswas was guiding a forklift operator, who wanted to lift a bag of scrap metal, when one of the forks struck him on his neck.

The ministry said that as a general safety measure, forklift operators must check and ensure that nobody is within close proximity of the machine when it is in use.

MOM added that it has instructed Beng Cheng Metal to stop all work activities on the premises.

Mr Biswas leaves his wife, their 18-month-old daughter and his mother.

He came to Singapore 10 years ago, hoping to earn enough money to build a house for his family in Joydihi village, said his cousin, Mr Ojha Tapas, 36.

He heard about the tragedy from Mr Biswas’ family in Bangladesh. The hospital had contacted the family.

“When I got to the hospital, his heart (had) already stopped. He was not breathing, and I saw a very big injury on his head,” said Mr Ojha, who has also been working in Singapore for the past 10 years but for a different company.

He added that Mr Biswas had needed emergency procedures but never recovered.

“His wife and mother have been crying since they got the news. Everybody is in tears and feeling helpless.”

Mr Ojha said Mr Biswas’ body was repatriated to his village on April 26.

“He wanted to make more money to help his family, and give his daughter a good education so she could become a doctor,” he added.

Mr Lim said Beng Cheng Metal is working out details of the compensation, from its insurance, to Mr Biswas’ family, adding that the firm will try to provide some financial assistance to them in the meantime.

Singapore’s workplace fatality rate had fallen to its lowest-ever level in 2023, MOM said on March 27 in its annual workplace safety and health report.

Statistics showed 36 workers died in 2023, a 21.7 per cent drop from the 46 deaths in 2022.

The construction sector saw the most number of deaths in 2023.

Eighteen workers died, including 20-year-old Vinoth Kumar, who was killed when a wall collapsed during demolition works at the Fuji Xerox Towers site in Tanjong Pagar on June 15, 2023.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.