Singapore: A 41-year-old Indian national died after he fell into the sea off Jurong Island in Singapore, which has reported a record number of workplace deaths this year.
The fatal accident took place when the man was doing scaffolding work at the Singapore Refining Company in Merlimau Road at around 11 a.m. on November 25, Channel News Asia reported.
He fell into the sea and his body was retrieved the same day.
The worker was employed by Plant General Services and the occupier of the site is Singapore Refining Company.
“MOM (Ministry of Manpower) is investigating the accident, and has issued a stop work order to the employer to stop scaffolding operations at the piers,” Channel News Asia reported quoting a Ministry statement on Tuesday.
“As a general safety measure, workers working near the sea or large water bodies should be protected by adequate fall protection measures, as well as a response plan for emergencies,” it added.
In June this year, a 32-year-old Indian worker died after he was crushed between parts of a mobile crane at a construction site.
In the first half of 2022, slips, trips, and falls were found to be the leading cause of workplace injuries in Singapore, with 42 workplace fatalities recorded in 2022 to date — the highest death toll recorded over the last four years, Channel News Asia reported.
There were 10 deaths in the month of April alone.
In 2021, 37 workplace fatalities were reported, followed by 30 in 2020, and 39 in 2019.
Following the rise in fatalities, the Ministry of Manpower announced in September that companies would be required to conduct a mandatory safety time-out, failing which they would be debarred from employing new foreign employees for a month.
