SCDF conducts search and rescue operation with the help of SCDF K9 search dogs. (Photo: SCDF)
SINGAPORE: One worker has died and 10 others were injured after an uncompleted viaduct beside the slip road from Upper Changi Road East to the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) collapsed in the early hours of Friday (Jul 14).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at 3.35am. About 60 SCDF officers, assisted by K9 search dogs, were involved in the search and rescue operation.
The uncompleted highway structure at Upper Changi Road East which collapsed, killing one worker and injuring 10 others.
The 10 injured workers were taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) for treatment, SCDF said. A CGH spokesperson said that eight of the 10 have been admitted.
At 6.45am, the SCDF updated that search and rescue operations had been completed and all workers at the construction site were accounted for.
Eleven workers were on top of the structure before the collapse. The worker who was killed was Chinese national Chen Yinchuan.
Three other Chinese workers, an Indian worker and six Bangladeshi workers were injured.
One of the men taken to CGH said that the workers at the site were in a floodlit area when the accident happened. The lights then went out and a few workers slipped, with one of them catching his leg on a piece of concrete.
STOP-WORK ORDER ISSUED, CONSTRUCTION PERMIT REVOKED
In separate statements on Friday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said they have launched investigations into the cause of the accident.
Construction firm Or Kim Peow Contractors was carrying out works to cast the decking for the new viaduct next to the slip road - which was closed to traffic - when the viaduct structure between two piers collapsed, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.
Preliminary investigations indicated that corbels – brackets that help support beams – had given way, it said.
BCA later clarified in a statement that it was specifically the support structure (girder) and platform (deck slab) for one portion of the viaduct that collapsed during concrete works.
BCA said it has revoked the permit for construction works at the site, and has ordered engineers responsible for the project to submit a detailed investigation report.
More at Channel News Asia
Apparently two workers remain in critical condition.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/viaduct-collapse-2-workers-remain-in-critical-condition
Any updates on the health status of the injured workers?
PIE structure collapse: Temporary bypass road to open to traffic at noon
The site of an accident at a construction site near the PIE, where a highway structure collapsed. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
SINGAPORE: The temporary at-grade bypass road connecting vehicles from Upper Changi Road East to PIE (Changi) will open to traffic at noon on Sunday (Jul 13), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement.
This follows the completion of a safety and design review, LTA added.
"Investigations on the affected existing slip-road are still on-going. The temporary bypass road will remain in use until investigations and recovery works on the slip road are completed," the statement added, cautioning motorists to "drive carefully" and "follow temporary signs on-site."
As of 8am, seven of the 10 injured workers remain warded at Changi General Hospital, LTA said in an update.
The opening of the bypass road comes after a delay, when it was scheduled open yesterday at noon.
LTA said yesterday that more time was needed to prepare the ground before they were able to proceed with paving the temporary road surface due to the wet weather conditions.
The temporary road is needed after an uncompleted viaduct beside the slip road from Upper Changi Road East to PIE (Changi) collapsed on Friday, making the slip road impassable to traffic. One worker was killed and 10 others injured as a result of the accident.
Source: Channel News Asia
Changi Structure Collapse: LTA Awarded Contractor Contract Despite Previous Fatal Accident
Contractor Behind Fatal Accident In Sept 2015, Awarded New Contract In Nov 2015
When people die in construction accidents, it’s natural to point fingers at the contractor behind the project.
But fingers may need to be pointed elsewhere too when a structure along Upper Changi Road East collapsed early on Friday (July 14) and killed a 31-year-old Chinese national.
Or Kim Peow Contractors, the firm in charge of the project, was revealed to have been found guilty under the Workplace Health and Safety Act just 3 days before the collapse — for a previous accident where 1 worker also died. And it was awarded the contract for the Changi structure despite that fatal incident.
Tragic Incident
Besides the sole fatality, 10 workers were injured in the incident that took place at 3.30am in the morning on Friday.
Officers from the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force rushed to the scene in Upper Changi Road East in the wee hours of the morning, and the injured were taken to Changi General Hospital for treatment.
The cause of the collapse is likely to be human error, The Straits Times quoted a veteran engineer as saying.
Bad Track Record
The shocking incident was reminiscent of another one that took place on Sept 22, 2015 when a platform dislodged under the Yio Chu Kang flyover, sending 4 workers crashing 6.4m to the ground. One died.
The firm that was behind the construction project on the Yio Chu Kang flyover was none other Or Kim Peow Contractors.
The company was fined $250,000 for safety lapses that led to the incident — in a ruling announced on Tuesday (July 11), just 3 days before the Changi structure collapse, The Straits Times reported.
Or Kim Peow Contractors’ holding company, OKP Holdings, has called for a halt in the trading of its shares.
Source
Blacklisted
According to a list from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) dated July 3, 2017, Or Kim Peow Contractors was given 25 demerit points and blacklisted from January to April for previous safety lapses.
Source
Some of the safety lapses it was found guilty of with respect to the Yio Chu Kang flyover incident include:
• Failure to ensure that all personnel involved were properly trained
• Failure to construct the working platform as per professional engineer’s design
• Constructing of the working platform despite the lack of supervision
• Failure to display warning labels providing safety details
Mr Chan Yew Kwong, the director of MOM’s Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, was quoted by Human Resources Online as saying:
Despite being blacklisted, fined and chided, Or Kim Peow was still working on the Changi flyover that collapsed on Friday morning.
Awarded Despite Accident
What’s more damning is that Or Kim Peow was actually awarded the Changi flyover project after the Yio Chu Kang flyover accident happened.
According to Channel NewsAsia, the Changi project has a contract value of more than $94.6 million, and the contract was awarded to Or Kim Peow by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in November 2015 — that’s 2 months after the Yio Chu Kang flyover fatality.
Did the LTA know about the Yio Chu Kang flyover incident that took the life of one worker?
Or did the LTA just assume that it wasn’t the fault of Or Kim Peow?
Or worse still, does the LTA not take such serious prior incidents into account when deciding which companies to award contracts to?
Questions Raised
Netizens immediately questioned why Or Kim Peow was awarded the Changi flyover contract despite its poor safety record.
Source
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Connections?
This led to speculation online over whether Or Kim Peow had ties to government officials.
Source
Some called for the authorities to conduct checks on all existing structures built by Or Kim Peow:
Source
Convenience Or Safety?
It may still be understandable that the LTA may be loath to cancel contracts that have already been awarded to companies when it discovers prior safety lapses that weren’t apparent before, as that would mean a massive delay in the project.
However, it beggars belief that it would award a contract to a company that has already notched up a well-publicised serious accident that resulted in a worker’s death.
Ultimately, it’s up to the public to decide: Should previous safety lapses be ignored if it means a project that brings greater convenience to motorists will get going earlier?
Is motorists’ convenience more important than safety?
If your answer is yes, then beware — the next fatality may be you.
https://mustsharenews.com/changi-structure-collapse/
The injured sent to that nincompoop CGH for treatment? Good luck to them seriously.
Really is Orh-Sim 黑心 company. PUI !!!!!!!!!
COLLAPSED HIGHWAY CONTRACTOR OWNED BY PAP GRASSROOTS LEADERS
Or Kim Peow Contractor is the firm responsible for building the highway along Upper Changi Rd, but what's interesting is, it is owned by OKP Holdings Pte Ltd, whose Chairman and Directors are grassroots leaders!
Chairman Or Kim Peow is in Potong Pasir CCC and was awarded Public Service Awards a few times before. His 3 sons are Directors of the company (surprise surprise!) and were similarly awarded for their contributions to public service. Or Toh Wat is the Group Managing Director and chairs Potong Pasir CC's Management Committee. Another son, Or Kiam Meng, is the Executive Director and Patron of Anchorvale CC's Management Committee. The third son, Or Lay Huat, is a member of Tampines GRC, the First Vice Chairman of Tampines West CCC, and a Treasurer of the School Advisory Committee at East View Primary School.
And that's not all ok! Other directors of the company also held senior positions in the public sector. Chen Seow Phun was an MP from 1988 to 2006. He served as Minister of State for Communications, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, and Minister of State for National Development. He was Board member with the HDB, EDB, Port of Singapore and Singapore Power Ltd. Another director, Tan Boen Eng, also held senior positions at IRA, Singapore Pools and was a member of the Singapore Sports Council.
Whoa don't play play, all big shots sia. How come so many big shots but still cannot ensure safety precautions, still kena fined, still got lapse? What are they going to do about it now that they kena so many accidents? Eh pls la, make sure you run your company properly first before boasting about your involvement in "serving the community"!
#AnyoneCanBeGrassrootsLeader
Jason L