Singaporean worker, 49, crushed by 20ft container at Pioneer work site

The fatal workplace incident occurred while the container was being unloaded by a side loader. PHOTO: STOMP

SINGAPORE - A 49-year-old Singaporean worker died after he was crushed by a 20-foot container at a work site in Pioneer on Friday (Oct 1).

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told The Straits Times that the fatal workplace incident occurred while the container was being unloaded by a side loader, a specialised vehicle used to hoist and transport shipping containers.

A 42-year-old man was later arrested for causing death by a rash act.

The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted at about 9am to the incident at 15 Pioneer Crescent.

The worker was found motionless at the location and was pronounced dead by an SCDF paramedic, the police said.

MOM said the occupier of the work site, a container depot, and employer of the dead worker is Allied Container (Engineers and Manufacturers).

The firm has been ordered to stop all loading and unloading of containers, and to stop the use of side loaders.

When contacted by ST, a manager at the firm declined to comment, citing ongoing police investigations.

This is the 30th workplace fatality to have occurred this year and the latest in a string of fatal workplace accidents in recent months.

An explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant last Thursday killed two workers and seriously injured a third, prompting labour MP Melvin Yong to call for a safety time-out.

There were 30 workplace deaths during the whole of 2020, the lowest tally on record. This was down from 39 workplace deaths in 2019 and 41 in 2018.

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