Humans Aren't Cargo

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 27 July 2010. Ferrying workers: Do the right thing now By Jessica Cheam Straits Times, Jul 27, 2010 Big companies should show the way by not using open-top lorries ST cartoon SINGAPORE'S builders have had to overcome many challenges in recent years - from the sand crisis of 2007, to the manpower and materials crunch of 2008, and the property slump last year. But the most recent challenge they face could be the trickiest, for it has both moral and business implications: Employers are now being pressured to stop ferrying workers on the back of lorries. Debate on the issue was reignited by an accident last month where an open-top lorry transporting workers overturned on the Pan-Island Expressway, killing three workers and injuring 14. It was the worst accident since May last year, when four workers died after their vehicle slammed into a stationary trailer in Tuas. Several MPs spoke up on the issue in Parliament last week, ...

The following letter was published in the Straits Times forum on 26 July 2010. Cap lorry speed limit Straits Times, Jul 26, 2010 I READ with interest Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim's letter last Wednesday ("Speeding deaths: Consider capital punishment"). We read and listen to news of cars colliding, motorcycles careening off the road, and foreign workers being injured in lorry crashes. The bottom line is: speeding kills. Advertisements and campaigns have been launched to ingrain this into our minds but sadly, accidents still happen and innocent lives are lost. Singapore has in place speed traps and police lookouts to nab errant drivers. However, more needs to be done. The most pressing issue is that of lorries transporting foreign workers being driven recklessly at high speeds. What good would canopies and proper seating do for the passengers' safety? We should nip the problem in the bud by altering the maximum speed at which these vehicles can travel. If all lorries travel at a m...

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 21 July 2010. Tighter deadline for safer lorries taken in stride By Maria Almenoar Straits Times, Jul 21, 2010 Most firms have started retrofitting lorries to better protect workers MOST companies have already begun retrofitting their fleets of lorries or replacing their old vehicles so that they will comfortably meet the deadline for tightened safety requirements. Companies which have been using lorries to transport their foreign workers between worksites and their dormitories have, in the past year or so, been fitting their vehicles with higher side rails and canopies. They had been told last August that they had until September 2012 to install these fittings to prevent their workers from falling off the vehicles and protect them from inclement weather. But in the light of a continued run of accidents in the last two months in which workers were thrown off lorries, the Government has brought forward the deadline. Light lorri...

The following letter was published in the Straits Times on 20 July 2010. Ferrying workers: Cost should not be a factor Jul 20, 2010 I FULLY support Mr Robert J. Cochrane's suggestion last Friday ("Ferrying workers: Smokescreen regulations won't work") to provide a safer mode of transportation for foreign workers, such as buses. Under no circumstances should we allow cost considerations to outweigh the value of human lives. Each foreign worker is someone's father, husband, brother or son, and his life is as precious as ours. The higher cost of transportation should be factored into total business costs, and we should try to find a workable solution without compromising safety. It is an issue that involves the unions, the employers and the Government. Perhaps they can work together to resolve the issue once and for all. Tan Thiam Soon

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 20 July 2010. Tighter driving rules for foreign workers By Kor Kian Beng Straits Times, Jul 20, 2010 Lorry safety measures also brought forward Reproduced photo caption: Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced in Parliament yesterday that the deadline for lorries used to transport foreign workers to be retrofitted with canopies and higher side railings has been brought forward from September 2012 to Feb 1 next year for light lorries, and Aug 1 next year for heavy lorries. He also announced that a new licensing scheme with more stringent conditions for foreign worker drivers was in the works. -- ST PHOTO: MALCOLM KOH THE Government will be more stringent in issuing driving licences to foreign workers. It will also step up enforcement against foreign worker drivers who flout safety rules by speeding or driving recklessly, and may also take legal action against them and their employers. The Transport Ministry has also brought fo...

The following article was published in TODAY on 20 July 2010. Safety measures to kick in earlier TODAY, Jul 20, 2010 SINGAPORE - New safety measures for lorries carrying workers - instead of being implemented in 2012 - will be introduced in February, following the recent deaths of three workers. Transport Minister Raymond Lim told Parliament yesterday that light lorries have to be fitted with canopies and higher side railings by Feb 1 next year, while heavy lorries have until Aug 1 next year to comply. He said 75 per cent of such fatal accidents involve light lorries. When compared to heavier lorries, workers on light ones are more likely to be hurt so the Ministry of Transport (MOT) decided that such lorries need to be retrofitted first, said Mr Lim. In addition, both light and heavy lorries have to double minimum deck space requirement per seated worker from 4 to 8 square feet by August next year. On June 22, three Chinese nationals died when the lorry they were travelling in skidded...

The following letter was published in the Straits Times forum on 16 July 2010. Ferrying workers: Smokescreen regulations won't work Jul 16, 2010 I WAS an audit director for the Transport Accidents Commission of the state of Victoria in Australia, and I have seen thousands of files on traffic and transport accidents. When I first took up my role in Singapore two years ago, I was shocked that workers were crammed into open-top vehicles designed solely for the transport of materials. This situation seems incongruous with Singapore's image as a safe place to work. Government plans ('Worker-transport safety rules may come sooner'; June 26) to alleviate risk will make no difference to worker death or injury in the case of a major accident. The Government did not mention any improvement in the securing of workers in the vehicles, or in overhead roll protection. Instead of designing smokescreen regulations, like the proposed rule to increase space per worker in the back of open...