6 Wednesday, June 23 2010 ●

THE NEW PAPER THE NEW PAPER Wednesday, June 23 2010 7

●

News

They’re still flouting the rules KEEPING WORKERS SAFE Number of offences committed
REPORT: KENNETH GOH
kengohsz@sph.com.sg
since new rules implemented

L
ESS than 12 hours after the horrific accident
and less than 100m away, lorry drivers ferry-
ing foreign workers were seen tempting fate
and flouting the law.
Some workers sat on stools or plastic chairs on
the lorries. Others were perched on piles of equip-
ment and wooden crates.
226 839
Carried up to 25% more workers than
maximum capacity allowed
Failed to display maximum passenger
capacity (MPC) label
This is against Land Transport Authority rules.

55 219
(See report on facing page.)
They were seated too high – their shoulders
were well above the side-railings – putting them
in peril should the vehicle swerve or be involved REMINDER: LTA sticker explaining rules affecting lorries carrying workers.
in an accident.
The New Paper team spent 30 minutes keep- Carried over 25% more workers than Displayed incorrect MPC label
maximum capacity allowed
ing a lookout during the evening rush hour at an ■ Vehicle must travel below the posted road ■ Open lorries with a maximum laden weight of
overhead bridge near Catholic Junior College on speed limit or vehicle’s speed limit of 60 kmh, up to 3,500kg must have protective
the PIE. whichever is the lower. side-railings that are at least 55cm high from
And in that short time, we saw that seven of
the 62 lorries which passed by ignored the LTA
regulations.
Workers on one lorry slept on stacks of tools,
blissfully unaware that they could die at any turn.
On another lorry, a few workers barely had
enough sitting room. They were sandwiched be-
■ Minimum space requirement of 4 sq ft, or
0.372 sq m, per seated worker. From Sept 1,
2012, the minimum space per worker will be
doubled to 8 sq ft.
the floor of the carriage and at least 15cm
higher than the top of the side-boards.

■ All lorries registered from Jan 1 and used to

■ No part of a seated worker should be more
tween large metal pieces, pipes and a ladder.
One lorry carried 10 stacks of plastic chairs. than 1.1m above the carriage deck.
Each stack had more than 30 chairs.
Under the towering stacks: three workers. ■ All passenger seats in lorry’s cabin must be
Two were on their backs fast asleep, while the filled before workers can go on carriage deck.
other worker was squeezed in between the equip-
ment on the cargo deck.
The lorries ferried an average of eight workers
each. The workers were usually seated on the
floor of the deck and leaning against the side
railing.
Some had ample room to stretch their legs,
3 dead,
but most sat with their legs crossed.
In one lorry, three workers were squeezed
shoulder to shoulder.
14 hurt in
They occupied only a small portion of the
lorry’s cargo deck, which was mostly filled with
TNP PICTURES: LUKE YAN
HEIGHTENED DANGER: These foreign workers, spotted sitting on stools and plastic chairs or perched on equipment and
wooden crates, could be seriously hurt if the lorries swerve.
latest crash
potted plants and bags of soil.
REPORT: ARUL JOHN and LIM WEI LI
tnp@sph.com.sg
THE Chinese national lay on the road,
covered in blood, a metal rod sticking out of
his head.
It is likely to have killed him instantly.
Another Chinese worker also died at the
scene. And a third succumbed to his injuries
in hospital.
Fourteen other men were injured. Their
bodies lay all over the road after an accident
on the PIE near the slip road into Thomson
Road at 7.35am yesterday.
A lorry ferrying 16 workers skidded and
crashed into the road divider.
The workers were all Chinese nationals in
their 30s and 40s.
The driver is in his early 20s.
They were employees of CREC
Construction and were believed to be
travelling from their dormitory in Bukit Batok
to a worksite in the Balestier area.
The lorry, a white Toyota Dyna, mounted
a kerb at the road chevron markings, hit a
guard rail and overturned on its side.
The New Paper understands that at least
two people, including the driver, were in the
lorry cabin while the rest sat on the rear deck.
One of the injured victims, who gave his
carry workers must have:
1. Side-railings that are at least 70cm high
from the carriage floor and at least 30cm
higher than the top of the side-boards.
2. Canopies to shelter workers from rain and
shine.
From Sept 1, 2012, all lorries must comply.
WAITING FOR HELP: Some injured workers at the side of the road after the accident.
name only as Mr Chen, told Shin Min Daily
News that the driver appeared to have lost
control of the lorry as he was turning into the
Thomson Road exit.
No time to react
Mr Chen, 43, said he and his colleagues
had no time to react.
When the lorry overturned, they fell
towards the left side.
Mr Chen added that most of the workers
3,122 667
Failed to fill up all passenger seat(s) in
lorry’s front cabin
PICTURE: THE STRAITS TIMES
who were seriously injured were seated on
the left side of the lorry.
He sat on the right side and suffered
injuries to his ribs and face.
He said the two men who died were seated
near the front on the left side.
At 11.10am, a third man, Mr Qiu Min Jun,
46, died at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
The 14 injured workers and the driver had
been sent to TTSH.
When The New Paper arrived at the scene
at 9.30am, the mangled wreckage of the lorry
Failed to ensure no part of worker, when
seated, is 1.1m above carriage deck
stood in a shallow drain inside the road
divider.
The bodies of the two dead workers, Mr Li
Jia Jun and Mr Li Xian Long, both in their 40s,
were covered. A Singapore Civil Defence
Force spokesman said they were pronounced
dead at the scene at 7.50am.
The lorry carried a P-plate and a sign that
says “13 PAX” on the rear. The lorry had no
seats in its rear deck and no canopy.
Two men, one of whom gave his name as
Mr Zhao and is the director of CREC
Construction, said they were in charge of the
workers. Both declined to be interviewed,
saying they were still uncertain of the details
of the accident.
Mr Zhao had earlier told Shin Min Daily
News that one of the dead workers had
started working for him only recently.
At TTSH later that morning, six injured
workers emerged from the accident and
emergency department, all in bandages.
One of the workers, who declined to be
named and whose right lower arm was
bandaged, said: “The accident occurred very
suddenly. I was fortunate to be able to climb
out of the lorry.”
Mr Zhao later arrived at TTSH,
accompanied by the same man who was with
him at the crash site.
Both spoke to the workers and walked
some of them to taxis after the workers had
received outpatient treatment.
It is understood that six workers remain
warded.
These workers suffered head and
abdominal wounds and were in stable
condition.
Police are investigating the cause of the
accident. Witnesses can call the Traffic Police
hotline at 1800-547 1818.