Singaporean worker dies after glass doors topple on him; 4th workplace fatality this year
SINGAPORE – A 53-year-old Singaporean worker who was unloading a shipment of glass doors in an Alexandra warehouse with two other men died from his injuries after nine glass doors toppled on the three of them.
The man was taken to the National University Hospital with another worker who was injured and is now in a stable condition. The third worker in the team was not injured.
The latest incident makes it the fourth workplace fatality so far in 2023.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said it has instructed AGL Facade Systems to stop all work activities and appoint a workplace safety and health auditor to review the company’s work practices.
The company has also been barred from hiring new migrant workers for three months, and its director is required to personally account to MOM for safety lapses and take direct responsibility for rectifications, the statement added.
MOM said the accident took place at about 2.15pm last Thursday at Harbour Link Complex in Alexandra Terrace, when the men were unloading the glass doors from a shipping container.
MOM said glass sheets and panels in shipping containers should be bundled in upright positions within wooden crates when they are being transported. Forklifts or purpose-built telescopic handlers should be used for safe unloading, it added
If the items need to be shifted manually, proper means of support – such as props, braces, frames or restraint belts – need to be provided to prevent other items within the container from toppling, the statement said.
MOM added that it was investigating the accident.
