Prime mover driver and worker with head injury among 14 workplace deaths in first half of 2023

SINGAPORE – A worker who suffered head injuries building a wall and a prime mover driver who got crushed by a steel gate were two of the

14 workplace fatalities in the first half of 2023.

The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council made public the two workplace deaths for the first time in an alert on Wednesday.

In the first incident, a worker was found semi-conscious with head injuries on May 2, next to a wall he had just finished building.

He was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries.

In the second incident, a prime mover driver was crushed on June 9, after a steel sliding gate at the entrance of a warehouse toppled on him.

He was closing the gate when it slid beyond its stopper and fell out. The driver was taken to the hospital, and died on the same day.

In response to queries, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said investigations into both cases are ongoing.

The ministry did not provide further details when asked about the locations of the workplace accidents, the workers’ ages, nationalities and their employers.

Based on preliminary findings, the WSH alert said the worker who died in May “could have collapsed and struck his head against the ground”.

To cut the risks posed to construction workers, the WSH Council urged companies involved in such work to put in place the necessary safety measures.

Besides getting workers to wear personal protective equipment and instructing them to use it, the alert also said firms should conduct proper housekeeping at worksites, and check on workers’ health as part of WSH management systems.

In the June incident, early investigations found that the stopper on the top of the gate was worn down, and could have been the likely cause of the accident.

The alert said: “If sliding gates are not properly designed, installed, operated or maintained, they can topple and lead to serious and even fatal workplace injuries.

“The WSH Council calls on all companies with such gates at their premises to put in place the necessary safety measures to prevent gate toppling incidents.”

It added that companies should report any defects spotted on such gates, and advised that inspections and maintenance be carried out according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, among several other suggestions.

These two workplace deaths are among the 14 that occurred between January and June, as reported in the MOM national workplace safety and health statistics published on Sept 28.

From January 2023 to June 2023, there were 14 deaths and 311 major workplace injuries, down from 18 deaths and 316 major injuries for July 2022 to December 2022.

In the first half of 2022, the number of deaths was 28, double the figure from the first half of 2023, and 298 major injuries reported, fewer than the first half of 2023.