Worker falls into sea off Singapore, second death in two days

A worker died on Friday, Nov. 25 when he fell into the sea off Jurong Island while doing scaffolding works.

It was one of two workplace deaths that took place on Nov 25 and Nov 26, bringing the number of deaths to 42 in 2022, surpassing the 37 workplace deaths reported for the whole of last year.

The Ministry of Manpower MOM said on Tuesday that the fatal accident took place at 1 Merlimau Road at around 11 am.

It added that the body of the 41-year-old Indian national was retrieved on the same day.

The worker was employed by Plant General Services and the occupier of the site is the Singapore Refining Company.

The MOM is investigating the accident and has issued a stop work order to the employer to stop scaffolding operations at the piers, according to the Manpower Ministry.

As a general safety measure, workers working near the sea or large water bodies should be protected by adequate fall protection measures, as well as a response plan for emergencies.