If you didn’t already know because you were living under a rock or just didn’t really read the news yesterday, a crane collapsed at the construction site of an upcoming rehab hub in Novena, killing one 28-year-old Indian construction worker and injuring one 35-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the horizontal beam of the tower crane failed during a lifting operation, causing the crane to fall.
The workers who were around the construction site said that the falling material was what hit the two unfortunate men on the ground.
Lifting Operation Failure
Many of the workers couldn’t understand why the crane collapsed because, at that point in time, the crane was only lifting 300kg of scaffolding material when it “suddenly gave way”.
But 300kg sounds like a lot.
However, one worker who wished to remain anonymous clarified that 300kg was actually considered very light for a crane since cranes can usually carry materials that weigh tonnes.
The injured worker suffered minor injuries to his leg while the crane operator was uninjured. A 33-year-old resident whose apartment faced the construction site said that she heard a loud boom at 8.40am that morning, and saw the operator climb down from the driver’s cabin 20 minutes later.
The police were alerted to the incident at 8.50am where the Indian national was pronounced dead at the scene while the Bangladeshi worker was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Moving Forward From This
According to an MOM spokesperson, the Indian national was an employee of LKT Contractors while the Bangladeshi worker is an employee of BHCC Construction.
Both companies are subcontractors of this project and cannot be contacted for further comment as of now.
According to the main contractor of this project, Kajima Overseas Asia (Singapore), however, a team is being sent to aid the families of the workers. Insurance claims for the workers and their families will also be submitted.
The police and MOM are investigating this incident.
Construction for this project has since halted and MOM and the main contractor are reportedly assisting the families of the Indian and Bangladeshi workers.
We hope that the Bangladeshi worker recovers soon and that the Indian worker rests in peace.
