http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/...torey-20130927

Worker dies after fall from 20th storey

Published on Sep 27, 2013

By Walter Sim


A BANGLADESHI construction worker fell 20 storeys to his death at a condominium worksite in Marine Parade yesterday morning. The 20-year-old was believed to have been installing glass panels at Silversea condo in Amber Road when the accident occurred. He fell after the scaffolding collapsed.

"Preliminary findings show that a worker was working at the balcony of a residential unit on the 20th floor of a building when he fell to the ground," said a Manpower Ministry spokesman.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force, which confirmed it received a call at 9.54am, pronounced the man dead at the scene. The police are investigating, but it is believed that no foul play is suspected.

The worker was employed by Jinyue Glass, a sub-contractor to which the main contractor, China Construction (South Pacific) Development Co, had outsourced glass panelling work.

"We are saddened by the tragic incident and will offer our utmost cooperation to the relevant authorities," said Mr Ben Sheng, China Construction's chief project representative. "In the meantime, all our supervisors and workers have been reminded of the importance and compliance of worksite safety protocols. Our immediate priority is to extend all possible assistance to the family of the deceased."

Two eyewitnesses who spoke to The Straits Times on condition of anonymity claimed that the worker was not wearing a lifeline.

One of them, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who does plumbing work at the site but did not know the dead man, was horrified. He said: "We all have families at home. I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Silversea, developed by Far East Organization, has four towers and 383 units and is due to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

The ministry has instructed that work be stopped at the accident site while investigations are ongoing. When The Straits Times visited yesterday, work at the affected 21-storey tower had halted, but continued at other unaffected blocks.

In the first seven months of this year, eight workers fell to their deaths from a height at worksites, compared to seven in the same period a year ago.

In 2011, then China Construction employee Shao Yongyin survived a 22-storey fall at The Trizon in Ridgewood Close after the gondola tilted suddenly. The 39-year-old Chinese national, who now walks with a limp, sued the company and received $300,000 in a settlement.

[email protected]