A 30-year-old site supervisor died on May 16 after a newly built canopy collapsed on him at a house near Upper Paya Lebar Road in Singapore [1, 2]. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. at a worksite along Jalan Usaha, off Upper Paya Lebar Road, when pallets of bricks weighing about six tonnes were placed on the canopy and caused it to give way [1, 2].
The supervisor was unconscious when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he later died [1, 2]. He was employed by construction firm LCN Pte Ltd and had worked with the company for about six months. He was originally from Bangladesh and described as an experienced worker [1].
Mr Lau, project manager of LCN Pte Ltd, said, “The canopy collapsed less than five minutes after the lorry crane had placed the bricks on it. It could not bear the weight of the bricks and together it fell on him.” He added, “We are not sure why he gave the instruction (to place the bricks on the canopy), or why he was standing (under the canopy), but it was possibly to shelter the bricks because of the rain in the morning.” [1]
The pallets of bricks were placed on a cast concrete canopy that was not designed to bear such weight [1]. The supervisor is suspected to have instructed colleagues to place the bricks there despite prior warnings not to do so [1].
The Ministry of Manpower and the police have launched investigations into the incident, with no foul play suspected. A ministry spokesperson said, “As a general safety measure, construction materials should not be placed on structures that are not designed to bear the load of the materials.” [1, 2]
Following the collapse, the Ministry of Manpower ordered LCN Pte Ltd to stop all work at the site as investigations continue [1, 2]. On May 17, the company’s project manager provided further details about the accident to the media [1]. The authorities aim to conclude inquiries before the site can resume operations.
