A construction worker fell to his death at a Sembawang worksite yesterday, the 63rd workplace death this year.

A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman said preliminary findings indicate that the 47-year-old man was working on a formwork that fell off the building, and he fell with it.

Police said they were alerted to "a case of unnatural death" at the construction site located at the junction of Sembawang Road and Canberra Road at 9.46am yesterday.

The worker was pronounced dead at the scene. The police are investigating the incident.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent an ambulance to the scene.

The MOM spokesman said officers from the ministry's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate responded immediately and have started investigations.

A full stop-work order has been issued on the site.

According to MOM, there have been 63 workplace deaths to date this year. There were 66 fatalities last year.

It has been reported that the construction sector had the highest casualty rate.

A report published in September by the Workplace Safety and Health Institute said falls continued to be the most common cause of fatalities at work.

Chew Hui Min