Two firms face charges for Downtown Line site accident last year
22 Aug 2013|3,165 views
Two companies will appear in court today to face charges, following the collapse at the Downtown Line's Bugis worksite that killed two workers in July last year, reported The Straits Times.
Besides the two workers, Mr. Dou Chunjie and Mr. Meng Haiyou, both from China, were buried in an avalanche of mangled steel and wet concrete, while eight others were injured when a roof being cast collapsed. Engineering experts told The Straits Times that they should not have been under the roof structure when concrete was being poured.
Court documents show that Soletanche Bachy-Koh Brothers is accused of failing to take 'reasonable measures to ensure that the workplace was safe and without risks to the health of every person within the premises'. It is also charged with failing to ensure the roof structure being cast was inspected and certified by a professional engineer.
Sin Herh, the employer of the two men who died, is charged with failing to take 'practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of all persons who were working under its direction, and for failing to implement practicable measures to minimise foreseeable risks' they faced.
If convicted, Soletanche Bachy-Koh Brothers can be fined up to $500,000. For Sin Herh, the maximum fine is $500,000 for the first charge and up to $10,000 for the other.
Meanwhile, an MOM spokesman has said that the families of the dead workers have received compensation of $170,000 each as required by the Work Injury Compensation Act. Since the incident, the ministry has issued a circular on Safety Requirements for Formwork Structures to address urgent safety issues.
Two companies will appear in court today to face charges, following the collapse at the Downtown Line's Bugis worksite that killed two workers in July last year, reported The Straits Times.
They are main contractor Soletanche Bachy-Koh Brothers Joint Venture and sub-contractor Sin Herh Construction. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is accusing them of breaching workplace safety and health regulations as well as failing to manage risks.
Besides the two workers, Mr. Dou Chunjie and Mr. Meng Haiyou, both from China, were buried in an avalanche of mangled steel and wet concrete, while eight others were injured when a roof being cast collapsed. Engineering experts told The Straits Times that they should not have been under the roof structure when concrete was being poured.
Court documents show that Soletanche Bachy-Koh Brothers is accused of failing to take 'reasonable measures to ensure that the workplace was safe and without risks to the health of every person within the premises'. It is also charged with failing to ensure the roof structure being cast was inspected and certified by a professional engineer.
Sin Herh, the employer of the two men who died, is charged with failing to take 'practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of all persons who were working under its direction, and for failing to implement practicable measures to minimise foreseeable risks' they faced.
If convicted, Soletanche Bachy-Koh Brothers can be fined up to $500,000. For Sin Herh, the maximum fine is $500,000 for the first charge and up to $10,000 for the other.
Meanwhile, an MOM spokesman has said that the families of the dead workers have received compensation of $170,000 each as required by the Work Injury Compensation Act. Since the incident, the ministry has issued a circular on Safety Requirements for Formwork Structures to address urgent safety issues.
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