<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Contractors charged over worker's death
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Esther Tan
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Ng Choon Seng (seen here) and Ng Tze Lik were hauled to court over a lack of worksite safety measures.
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->AFTER a 38-year-old foreign worker fell to his death, his employer allegedly strapped a safety belt on the body to make it appear that he had been following safety regulations.
Yesterday, Ng Choon Seng, 55, the sole proprietor of New Sun Electrical Contractor, was charged with modifying the accident scene in July last year.
New Sun was a subcontractor carrying out home renovations at 107A Gerald Drive, off Yio Chu Kang Road. The worker, Mr Pichaimuthu Dhanikodi, an Indian national, was installing a lightning conductor on the roof when he fell and died. Ng faces two other charges: for employing Mr Dhanikodi without a valid work pass and for failing to ensure there were proper safety measures at the worksite.
The main contractor, Tat Ho Builder, faces nine charges for not providing a safe work environment. A director of the company, Ng Tze Lik, was charged with not implementing the necessary safety measures.
Investigations by the Ministry of Manpower showed that there were no lines to hook on harnesses or barricades installed on the roof to prevent falls. Mr Dhanikodi had got up by climbing the wooden scaffolding erected on the outside of the house.
The accident was the third case brought to court in the last two months involving a worker falling from height at a worksite.
In April, a subcontractor, Giftbuild, and its director Goh Eng Ban were fined $70,000 and $20,000 respectively for failing to ensure that a gondola was set up according to safety regulations, and for not providing adequate training and supervision. This resulted in the death of a worker who slipped and fell 10 storeys while painting the exterior of a residential block. The main contractor, Jotun (Singapore), was fined $18,000 last month.
Last month, a foreman was fined $6,000 when his worker fell from a height of about 23m. He had a safety belt on, but nowhere to anchor it.
From 2006 to last year, three out of every 10 workplace deaths were from falls, making up the bulk of fatalities. More than 70 per cent of such deaths came from the construction and marine sectors.
A Fall Protection Plan, which comes under the draft Code of Practice on Safe Working at Height, was announced by Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong in April. The plan identifies fall hazards in the workplace and outlines prevention measures like barricades and safe access to and from work areas. The Workplace Safety and Health Council intends to issue it within the next three months.
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Esther Tan
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Ng Choon Seng (seen here) and Ng Tze Lik were hauled to court over a lack of worksite safety measures.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->AFTER a 38-year-old foreign worker fell to his death, his employer allegedly strapped a safety belt on the body to make it appear that he had been following safety regulations.
Yesterday, Ng Choon Seng, 55, the sole proprietor of New Sun Electrical Contractor, was charged with modifying the accident scene in July last year.
New Sun was a subcontractor carrying out home renovations at 107A Gerald Drive, off Yio Chu Kang Road. The worker, Mr Pichaimuthu Dhanikodi, an Indian national, was installing a lightning conductor on the roof when he fell and died. Ng faces two other charges: for employing Mr Dhanikodi without a valid work pass and for failing to ensure there were proper safety measures at the worksite.
The main contractor, Tat Ho Builder, faces nine charges for not providing a safe work environment. A director of the company, Ng Tze Lik, was charged with not implementing the necessary safety measures.
Investigations by the Ministry of Manpower showed that there were no lines to hook on harnesses or barricades installed on the roof to prevent falls. Mr Dhanikodi had got up by climbing the wooden scaffolding erected on the outside of the house.
The accident was the third case brought to court in the last two months involving a worker falling from height at a worksite.
In April, a subcontractor, Giftbuild, and its director Goh Eng Ban were fined $70,000 and $20,000 respectively for failing to ensure that a gondola was set up according to safety regulations, and for not providing adequate training and supervision. This resulted in the death of a worker who slipped and fell 10 storeys while painting the exterior of a residential block. The main contractor, Jotun (Singapore), was fined $18,000 last month.
Last month, a foreman was fined $6,000 when his worker fell from a height of about 23m. He had a safety belt on, but nowhere to anchor it.
From 2006 to last year, three out of every 10 workplace deaths were from falls, making up the bulk of fatalities. More than 70 per cent of such deaths came from the construction and marine sectors.
A Fall Protection Plan, which comes under the draft Code of Practice on Safe Working at Height, was announced by Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong in April. The plan identifies fall hazards in the workplace and outlines prevention measures like barricades and safe access to and from work areas. The Workplace Safety and Health Council intends to issue it within the next three months.
