By Clement Mesenas, TODAY | Posted: 09 December 2010 2204 hrs
SINGAPORE: An employer was fined on Thursday for a worker's
death due to heatstroke.
Cheang Heong Lan, the sole proprietor of
Chin Kong Trading Construction, was fined S$20,000 for her failure as
an employer to ensure workplace safety and health measures that
contributed to a foreign worker death on April 25, 2009.
Two days
after his arrival from China, Tian Wei begun fabrication work in
Cheang's open yard where he collapsed and died.
Tian, who came
from Liaoning in north-east China, where the average temperature is
between six and 11 degrees Celsius, succumbed to heatstroke after
working in the sun for five hours in the yard in Kranji Loop.
The
average temperature that day was 32.9 degrees Celsius.
Cheang is
the first employer to be fined under the Workplace Safety and Health
Act for such an offence. She could have been fined up to S$200,000 or
jailed up to two years or both.
Tian had not undergone any
acclimatisation before commencing work, the court heard.
Cheang's
company did not have an acclimatisation programme, which would require,
among other measures, new workers to be acclimatised over at least one
week by gradually increasing the workload and time spent in the hot
environment, the court heard.
cheaper better faster? die liao? nvm still got more in line.
I always support the need for more safety measures
But can't help but wonder if the guy informed his boss of which part of China he came from and their weather patterns there. And I'm sure he would have felt the impact of the heat each day. Wonder if he complained to his boss or just kept quiet ...
silly. this type of job sure will ask for contractor. those contractor who submiited their offer of servic ei wonder the businesses got audit them or not. like their workforce skill and training, whether they iso certified have safety and proper processes in place or not. siao you know why people look down and forever construction industry the manual worker no one wants to work anymore? because any tom hairy dick also can join and be selected as long as it s low ball to the base and cheaper than the stinking trash.
also it sthe worker's own repossibility to ensure their own safety at work, know the weather and environment of the pace they work in before they commit. if they go into the site without safety shoes issued they should ask for it. if they staep on nails they happy claim MC and sleep? what if the foot and wounds infected they can jolly well lose a leg.
irresponsible employer, silly employee, all dumped int one. fr the glory of lowball cheapness
Those employers dont really care where the workers comes from.