Safety calls grow after 2nd accident
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 24 June 2010.
Safety calls grow after 2nd accident
By Hoe Pei Shan
Straits Times, Jun 24, 2010
Six injured as 24ft lorry carrying 40 workers crashes into tree in Jurong Port Road
Reproduced photo caption: A fallen street sign after the accident early yesterday involving this lorry, which the company owner says had complied with regulations. --PHOTOS: BRYAN TOH, SHIN MIN
ST photo
CALLS for stricter rules governing the transportation of workers - as well as the bringing forward of their implementation - have grown louder, following another accident early yesterday morning.
A 24ft lorry carrying 40 workers crashed into a tree in Jurong Port Road, injuring six, with two treated for head injuries at the National University Hospital (NUH).
The accident was the second involving a lorry transporting workers in as many days.
President of the migrant worker advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), Mr John Gee, called for a stop to using the lorry as a mode of transport for people.
He said: 'What we need is enclosed transportation - like buses - equipped with safety belts, which have been recognised to give a significant amount of added protection.
'It's very frustrating to see that people sit and argue about what is feasible while lives are being lost.'
On Tuesday, three Chinese nationals were killed when the lorry they were riding in skidded and overturned just off the Pan-Island Expressway, at the Thomson Road exit. Fourteen others were injured. Their overloaded vehicle was meant to carry only 13 people in the back.
In yesterday's Jurong Port accident, the lorry was one that met requirements, claimed company proprietor Simon Subra.
This included having a canopy, railings on both sides, and not overloading the 45-person vehicle.
Even so, two of the 40 Myanmar workers from Fining Engineers and Contractors - all in their 30s or early 40s - had to be sent to NUH for head injuries. They were treated as outpatients.
Another four escaped with scrapes and bruises and have since been discharged.
This latest incident has led to more calls for the authorities to act.
Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics' (Home) executive director Jolovan Wham lamented the lack of stronger regulations making it compulsory to have enclosed transportation.
Countering employers' claims about the cost involved in hiring buses, he added: 'The cost of hiring buses can be significantly reduced if employers sign collective agreements with transport companies offering bus services.'
Mr Wham also stressed the need for education to raise safety awareness, not only for drivers but also for workers.
Members of the public, too, have been outraged by the spate of accidents, with readers sending letters to The Straits Times forum page.
One writer, shipping executive Stewart Sanjay, questioned the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) decision to wait until 2012 before new safety measures are in place: 'By then, more people will be dead - travelling in non-enclosed transport is a very real and pertinent danger.
'Why do we need to wait? Stricter regulations should be implemented as soon as possible.'
However, there are those who feel that companies and the authorities can only do so much.
Comparing the two accidents, Mr Tan Jin Thong, president of the National Safety Council of Singapore, which works closely with the LTA and Ministry of Manpower, said: 'The lorry appears to have rightfully met all of LTA's requirements, and this clearly shows that the chances of being thrown off the lorry and incurring fatalities are decreased with such safety features.'
He added that 'the authorities can only do so much by establishing safety requirements'.
'Ultimately, it is up to the company, the workers and drivers themselves to ensure that safety comes first.'
Safety calls grow after 2nd accident
By Hoe Pei Shan
Straits Times, Jun 24, 2010
Six injured as 24ft lorry carrying 40 workers crashes into tree in Jurong Port Road
Reproduced photo caption: A fallen street sign after the accident early yesterday involving this lorry, which the company owner says had complied with regulations. --PHOTOS: BRYAN TOH, SHIN MIN
ST photoCALLS for stricter rules governing the transportation of workers - as well as the bringing forward of their implementation - have grown louder, following another accident early yesterday morning.
A 24ft lorry carrying 40 workers crashed into a tree in Jurong Port Road, injuring six, with two treated for head injuries at the National University Hospital (NUH).
The accident was the second involving a lorry transporting workers in as many days.
President of the migrant worker advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), Mr John Gee, called for a stop to using the lorry as a mode of transport for people.
He said: 'What we need is enclosed transportation - like buses - equipped with safety belts, which have been recognised to give a significant amount of added protection.
'It's very frustrating to see that people sit and argue about what is feasible while lives are being lost.'
On Tuesday, three Chinese nationals were killed when the lorry they were riding in skidded and overturned just off the Pan-Island Expressway, at the Thomson Road exit. Fourteen others were injured. Their overloaded vehicle was meant to carry only 13 people in the back.
In yesterday's Jurong Port accident, the lorry was one that met requirements, claimed company proprietor Simon Subra.
This included having a canopy, railings on both sides, and not overloading the 45-person vehicle.
Even so, two of the 40 Myanmar workers from Fining Engineers and Contractors - all in their 30s or early 40s - had to be sent to NUH for head injuries. They were treated as outpatients.
Another four escaped with scrapes and bruises and have since been discharged.
This latest incident has led to more calls for the authorities to act.
Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics' (Home) executive director Jolovan Wham lamented the lack of stronger regulations making it compulsory to have enclosed transportation.
Countering employers' claims about the cost involved in hiring buses, he added: 'The cost of hiring buses can be significantly reduced if employers sign collective agreements with transport companies offering bus services.'
Mr Wham also stressed the need for education to raise safety awareness, not only for drivers but also for workers.
Members of the public, too, have been outraged by the spate of accidents, with readers sending letters to The Straits Times forum page.
One writer, shipping executive Stewart Sanjay, questioned the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) decision to wait until 2012 before new safety measures are in place: 'By then, more people will be dead - travelling in non-enclosed transport is a very real and pertinent danger.
'Why do we need to wait? Stricter regulations should be implemented as soon as possible.'
However, there are those who feel that companies and the authorities can only do so much.
Comparing the two accidents, Mr Tan Jin Thong, president of the National Safety Council of Singapore, which works closely with the LTA and Ministry of Manpower, said: 'The lorry appears to have rightfully met all of LTA's requirements, and this clearly shows that the chances of being thrown off the lorry and incurring fatalities are decreased with such safety features.'
He added that 'the authorities can only do so much by establishing safety requirements'.
'Ultimately, it is up to the company, the workers and drivers themselves to ensure that safety comes first.'
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