Stop-Work Order Issued After Accident At Site
By K.C. Vijayan
Singapore, 25 April 2001 -- The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has issued an order to stop further work at a Bedok North construction site after an uncompleted multi-storey carpark ramp collapsed on Monday night and injured six workers.
The move came after ministry officials inspected the site at Bedok North Street 5 yesterday.
The cause of the accident is yet to be established as investigations have not been completed, said a spokesman for MOM.
One of the six workers has been discharged from hospital while the other five are still being treated at the Changi General Hospital.
According to the police, all of them were working on the seventh floor of the uncompleted carpark when part of the formwork and scaffolding collapsed at about 7.20 pm on Monday, causing them to plunge to the next level.
The workers suffered cuts on their hands and legs as the debris, comprising cement and the metal formwork, fell on them.
One of them, Mr Meechai Wichai, a 28-year-old Thai national, had a deep cut on his right thigh and had to undergo an operation yesterday.
Other workers who were at the scene during the accident said over 30 people were working at the site then.
The six injured workers had just finished smoothening the cement that had been poured on the spiral ramp when it collapsed.
A fellow worker, Mr Siraz Mohamed, 23, said: 'Luckily, they were wearing safety helmets and boots. This prevented serious injury.'
The contractor for the project, Deenn Engineering, declined comment when contacted.
According to previous press reports, the company was fined $9,000 in 1997 for breaching safety rules, such as not supporting the sides of excavation areas to prevent them from collapsing. Source: The Straitstimes Interactive, Singapore
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