Upper Peirce Reservoir accident: 31-year-old Singaporean dies after machine topples and hits him

SINGAPORE - A 31-year-old Singaporean died after he was struck and pinned down by a machine on Tuesday morning.

He is the 45th workplace fatality so far in 2022.

The machine was being moved by a forklift when it toppled and hit the worker.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at 601 Rifle Range Road – a site near Upper Peirce Reservoir that is occupied by ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering – at 8.05am.

The man, who was employed by RCM Resources, a labour supply firm, was unconscious when he was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. He was later pronounced dead, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday.

The ministry said that when using forklifts, it is crucial that forks be inserted underneath a load, and that the load is stable before being raised for transfer. “This is to prevent any accidental toppling of the load,” it said.

The 45 workplace deaths so far in 2022 exceed the 37 recorded in the entirety of 2021, and is the highest number since 2016, when there were 66 such deaths.

There were 30 workplace deaths in 2020, and 39 in 2019.

After a spate of work-related deaths and injuries earlier in 2022, MOM imposed a six-month heightened safety period from Sept 1, with companies possibly being barred from hiring foreign workers if serious safety lapses are found following an accident.

In response to queries, ST Engineering said: “The company’s immediate priority is to provide assistance to the victim’s family, and (it) has assigned carers and professional counsellors to support them during this difficult time.”

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