Construction worker dies after wall collapses at Upper Changi worksite
Calista Wong for The Straits Times
A 52-year-old construction worker died after a wall structure collapsed and trapped him at a construction site in Upper Changi on Sept 17.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the police said they were alerted to the accident, which took place at a construction site at 14 Toh Close, at about 1.05pm.
The man, who was found trapped between two walls when SCDF officers arrived at the scene, was freed by the officers using hydraulic rescue equipment.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by SCDF paramedics.
Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play. Investigations are ongoing.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, a notice at the worksite shows that a two-storey private residential unit is being built, with construction work starting in May.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the worker was manually excavating a trench next to a wall when it collapsed and trapped him.
The trench was at a depth of about 600mm, a spokesperson for the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) told ST.
"One of the workers was trapped due to shifting and tilting of the retaining wall," BCA added.
A BCA engineer and the project's qualified person have also inspected the affected retaining wall and adjacent buildings, BCA said, adding that the inspection confirmed there are no imminent structural safety concerns to surrounding buildings.
BCA said it has instructed the qualified person to put in place temporary propping measures to stabilise the affected retaining wall, and to propose permanent rectification measures.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased worker during this difficult time," BCA said.
The occupier of the site is Nic & Wes Builders, while the employer of the deceased worker is Nic & Wes Construction. All work activities at the worksite have been stopped, the authorities said.
"As a general safety measure, contractors must check the integrity of the surrounding structures and provide adequate shoring to prevent collapse during construction work," MOM said.
