Workplace deaths in construction sector triple in second half of 2024

A 27-year-old worker from Bangladesh was killed on Dec 8 after a suspected electric shock, continuing a spate of deaths in the construction sector that has seen workplace fatalities triple from five in the first half of 2024 to 15 in the second half.

- Aqil Hamzah

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the man and a coworker were pulling cables into a distribution board in a riser room when the accident took place.

He was taken to Changi General Hospital, where he died. MOM said his employer was HD Contractor, while the developer of the project is the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Calling the workplace safety and health (WSH) performance of the sector "concerning", the MOM said in a Facebook post on Dec 13 that many of the deaths were caused by a lack of basic safety measures or non-compliance.

"This points to a sense of complacency and a lack of ownership for workplace safety," it said.

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, MOM said that apart from the death on Dec 8, it is investigating three other recent workplace incidents that had resulted in both fatal and major injuries in the construction sector.

On the morning of Dec 13, a 77-year-old Singaporean man was operating a crawler crane's boom when a hook block dislodged and struck his left foot.