They're still flouting the rules

The following article was published in The New Paper on 23 June 2010.

They're still flouting the rules
By Kenneth Goh
The New Paper, 23 June 2010

Photo credit: TNP. Reproduced photo caption: 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.





Less than 12 hours after the horrific accident and less than 100m away, lorry drivers ferrying foreign workers were seen tempting fate and flouting the law.

Some workers sat on stools or plastic chairs n the lorries. Others were perched on piles of equipment and wooden crates.

This is against Land Transport Authority rules.

They were seated too high - their shoulders were well above the side-railings - putting them in peril should the vehicle swerve or be involved in an accident.

The New Paper team spent 30 minutes keeping a lookout during the evening rush hour at an overhead bridge near Catholic Junior College on the PIE.

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 between large metal pieces, pipes and a ladder.

One lorry carried 10 stacks of plastic chairs. Each stack had more than 30 chairs.

Under the towering stacks: three workers.

Two were on their backs fast asleep, while the other worker was squeezed in between the equipment 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, but most sat with their legs crossed.

In one lorry, three workers were squeezed shoulder to shoulder.

They occupied only a small portion of the lorry's cargo deck, which was mostly filled with potted plants and bags of soil.

Three dead, 14 injured as lorry tips over

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 23 June 2010.

Three dead, 14 injured as lorry tips over
Workers flung off vehicle as it went out of control
By Ted Chen & Bryan Toh
The Straits Times
Jun 23, 2010

Reproduced photo caption: SCDF officers attending to the injured workers yesterday morning. Of the 14 sent to hospital for treatment, eight of them were discharged by late yesterday. The remaining six were kept to be treated for trauma and cuts, but all were in stable condition. -- ST PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW

THREE Chinese nationals in their 40s were killed in the morning rush hour yesterday when the lorry they were riding in skidded and tipped over just off the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).

Fourteen of their colleagues, all also male, were hurt in the accident, which took place along the slip road towards Thomson Road, just off the Changi-bound side of the PIE.

The vehicle was authorised to carry 13 passengers at the back and has space for up to three in the front, including the driver.

The police have yet to confirm the number of workers who were sitting with the driver.

Of the three dead, two died at the scene, and the third, about 31/2 hours later, at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Of the 14 sent there for treatment, eight, including the driver, were discharged by late yesterday. The remaining six were kept to be treated for trauma and cuts, but all were in stable condition.

All work for CREC Construction.

At about 7.35am, the Toyota Dyna lorry went out of control, mounted and lodged itself atop the metal divider separating the slip road to Thomson Road from the thoroughfare of the PIE.

The workers were flung off.

By the time the ambulances arrived about half an hour later, two of them were lying in a drain, one of them already dead.

Those who were injured sat by the kerb outside the old police academy in their blood-spattered clothes as they were given first aid by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The police closed off one lane on the slip road and the left-most lane of the PIE, causing a rush-hour traffic jam which did not ease until 10.45am, when the lorry was lifted and towed away.

Most of the damage was on the lorry's left side. The passenger door was smashed in, and the windshield lay on the road. The left-side railing on its cargo deck was missing.

Injured workers said that those with more serious injuries sat on the left side of the vehicle.

Mr Zhao Xue Bin, 41, who owns CREC, cautioned the injured workers at the hospital against talking to reporters; he too declined comment, despite repeated calls from The Straits Times.

The accident is the worst involving a lorry since May last year. In that crash, four people lost their lives when their vehicle slammed into a stationary trailer in Tuas.

Rules continue to be ignored, although the latest lot of safety measures which took effect in January have dampened the number of violations.

For example, in the last four months of last year, 201 cases of overloading were logged, but this fell to 80 in the first four months of this year.

Regulations state that the seats in the cabin next to the driver have to be filled before passengers can take up the cargo deck at the rear.

Under Land Transport Authority guidelines, lorries filled beyond capacity can earn their owners a fine or even a jail term, depending on how far beyond capacity the vehicle went.

No one has been arrested yet as investigations get under way. Witnesses are advised to contact the Traffic Police on 1800-547-1818.

New safety rules should kick in sooner, many say

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 23 June 2010.

New safety rules should kick in sooner, many say
By Ng Kai Ling & Daryl Chin
The Straits Times
Jun 23, 2010

Reproduced photo caption: Many lorries can be spotted on roads here ferrying workers under potentially unsafe conditions - like this lorry seen above, which had its tailgate half open. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

WITH three workers killed and more than a dozen injured in yesterday's accident, questions have once again been raised about the adequacy of the measures taken to ensure their safety to and from their worksites.

Members of Parliament and representatives of worker-welfare groups, when reacting to news of the accident, asked, for example, why employers who transport their workers on the backs of lorries should be given until 2012 to comply with the stepped-up safety measures.

In fact, Madam Halimah Yacob - who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Manpower - wants to know why employers should even be allowed to use lorries, which are goods vehicles.

It is not as if the issue is new.

Accidents resulting in death and injury among workers have been extensively reported on in the last three years. Last year, one person died and 77 were hurt in accidents involving open lorries or pick-ups, making a total of 78 casualties, up from 69 in 2005.

In response, the authorities have run campaigns to educate employers on their responsibilities to their workers - as well as stiffened the penalties for flouting these regulations. Between last September and April this year, the Land Transport Authority issued 5,128 summonses to errant lorry drivers and owners.

The authorities also rolled out a slew of regulations last August - to be implemented over the next few years - to make it safer for workers to ride on these lorries.

For example, lorries registered from this year have to be fitted with higher side railings and canopies. Owners of older lorries have until 2012 to comply with this, to give them time to get their vehicles retrofitted.

In the meantime, stop-gap measures such as requiring workers to be seated no more than 1.1m higher than the cargo deck are in place.

Agreeing with Madam Halimah that there is no need to wait until 2012 for higher railings to become compulsory, migrant worker advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) president John Gee said what stands out clearly for him is the danger of using an open-backed vehicle to transport workers - instead of using, say, a mini bus.

He said: 'We all knew that extra measures are being put in place to protect these workers, but the question is, would these changes, if implemented, be enough to save these workers?'

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, the chairman of the GPC for Transport, said it may be time to review the rules and, if need be, expedite their enforcement.

Madam Amanda Kwan, who learnt about the accident earlier yesterday from The Straits Times' website, immediately shot a letter to the paper to say that the accident raised the question of whether what has been done so far is enough.

Aside from what the authorities can enforce, some employers - individuals with the most direct influence on their workers' safety - have been resisting change, especially that which costs them money.

Mr Simon Lee, the executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association, said bigger companies may have already planned safer modes of transport for their workers, but for smaller firms, doing this may not make financial sense. This is because these firms spread their workers over a few projects, so to have a mini bus trailing a lorry carrying equipment would balloon costs.

Mr Neo Tiam Beng, who heads the Singapore School & Private Hire Bus Owners Association, when asked how much it would cost to hire a mini bus, said it depends on the kind of bus and distance, but prices start at $20 a trip.

Straits Times reader Madam Kwan wrote: 'One root cause of such accidents is the law that allows the transportation of workers like goods in open pick-up trucks and lorries.'

Madam Halimah agreed, saying workers should be treated better: 'I feel that the best way is to transport them in buses... I still see workers crouching in the corner of lorries when it rains, using plastic bags or newspapers to shield themselves. I think that is appalling.'

Improving safety of workers on lorries

THE following measures have been, or will be, implemented to enhance the safety of workers ferried to and from their worksites in lorries:

FROM SEPT 1, 2009

- The maximum height a worker can be seated was lowered to prevent falls off the back of the lorry. No part of a seated worker should be more than 1.1m above the carriage deck.

- Passenger seats in the lorry's cabin must be filled up before workers can occupy the rear carriage.

- Penalties for non-compliance with safety regulations were stiffened.

- Enforcement action was stepped up.

- Hotline to report non-compliance with safety regulations was set up. Members of the public may call 1800-225-5582 (1800-CALL LTA) to report breaches of the safety rules.

- Public-education programmes on employers' responsibilities and best practices in safety and worker welfare were run.


FROM JAN 1, 2010

- Lorries registered from Jan 1, 2010 and used for carrying workers on the carriage deck must be fitted with higher protective side railings. Such railings must stand at least 700mm (up from 550 mm) from the carriage deck, and at least 300mm (up from 150mm) from the top of the sideboards.

- Lorries which ferry passengers on the carriage deck must be fitted with canopies to protect the passengers from inclement weather.


FROM SEPT 1, 2012

- Every worker must have at least 8 sq ft of deck space to himself, up from 4 sq ft.

- All lorries must have higher railings and canopies.


EXISTING MEASURES TO BE COMPLIED WITH:

- Lorries must not exceed the speed limit or 60kmh, whichever is lower.

- A label stating the maximum passenger capacity must be displayed on the right side of the rear tailboard.

- Goods being transported must be properly secured so that they do not endanger the workers being carried or other road users.

3 dead in PIE accident

The following article was published online in the Straits Times on 22 June 2010.

3 dead in PIE accident
By Ted Chen and Bryan Toh
Straits Times
Jun 22, 2010

Reproduced photo caption: A motorvehicle accident involving a lorry left two casualties and 15 injured at Jalan Toa Payoh flyover to Changi Airport. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW







PHOTO CREDIT: STRAITS TIMES

THREE workers died on Tuesday morning when a lorry carrying excess passengers skidded and overturned on the slip road from PIE towards Thomson Road.

Two died on the spot while another died later at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where 14 others were sent for treatment of injuries. All 17 are Chinese nationals and work for CREC Construction Pte Ltd.

The lorry skidded and slammed into the metal railings of the divider separating the slip road to Thomson Road and the PIE.

When ambulances arrived at 8.10am, two men were found in a drain along the divider, one of whom was already dead. Most of the vehicle damage was on its left side, with the passenger door smashed in, and windshield and left cargo side railing knocked off. Injured workers said those with more serious injuries had sat towards the left of the vehicle.

Traffic police closed off a lane on the slip road and the left-most lane of PIE, causing a rush-hour traffice jam till the lorry was lifted by two tow trucks at 10.45am.

Eight of the injured who suffered abrasions and simple arm fractures, including the driver, had been discharged from TTSH. Six others were warded, some for trauma and others for minor abrasions, but all are in stable condition.

Lorry was overcrowded

LORRY MEANT FOR 13 PASSENGERS

DESPITE new measures implemented by Land Transport Authority (LTA) in January to improve passenger safety in lorries, rules continue to be ignored.

On the 10-foot Toyota Dyna, 17 people were in the lorry meant to sit only 13 at the back.

Under LTA guidelines, if lorries exceed less than 25 per cent of its allocated capacity, a fine of $500 will be imposed, and if they exceed 25 per cent, the violator will be prosecuted in court, which could lead to a maximum jail term of six months.

2 trapped in lorry accident

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 22 June 2010.

2 trapped in lorry accident
By Linette Lai
The Straits Times
Jun 22, 2010

A COLLISION between two lorries along the Bukit Timah Expressway on Tuesday morning trapped one of the drivers and his passenger in the cabin of their vehicle.

Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued the trapped men from the cabin using hydraulic tools. Both were conscious but suffered minor injuries and were sent to the National University Hospital.

Three cars and another lorry were also involved in two seperate accidents close to the Mandai Road exit on the opposite side of the expressway on Tuesday.

3 killed in lorry accident along PIE

The following article was published in TODAY on 22 June 2010.

3 killed in lorry accident along PIE
By Sona Remesh
TODAY

SINGAPORE: Three men were killed after a lorry overturned along the Pan Island Expressway on Tuesday morning. This was one of three separate accidents involving lorries.

At around 7.30 a.m., a Toyota Dyna lorry crashed into the metal railings of a divider near the Thomson Road exit of the Pan Island Expressway.

Two passengers died on the spot.

15 others were rushed to Tan Tock Seng hospital where a third victim died some four hours later.

All the passengers are Chinese nationals from Crec Construction Corporation.

Six workers remain warded in hospital.

Others were luckier.

The accident partially closed the slip road separating Thomson Road from the PIE causing a massive rush hour traffic jam.

It also brings to light safety standards for lorries.

The label on the back of the wrecked lorry showed a maximum of 13 workers allowed.

But at least 17 were present at the time of the incident.

In a separate accident, two workers were trapped when two lorries collided along the Bukit Timah Expressway.

Civil defence officers had to use hydraulic tools to free them. - CNA/vm

Most lorries follow rules

The following story was published in the Straits Times on Sep 2, 2009

MOST LORRIES FOLLOW RULES
Workers in 49 cases are seated higher than the side railings of lorries
By Teh Joo Lin & Wendy Hui

Seated too high from the cargo deck? In many lorries, the workers were seated too high - higher than the side railings, the side boards or even the roof of the front cabin. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

COMPANIES transporting their workers on the back of lorries seem to be following the stricter rules which kicked in on Tuesday.

Four in five of 215 lorries observed over 30 minutes from 7.30am had workers seated on the floor of the cargo decks or on low planks, which reduced the risk of their being flung out in a collision.

These lorries were plying the Bukit Timah Expressway near the Rifle Range flyover and the Pan Island Expressway outside Catholic Junior College during the morning rush hour.

But The Straits Times counted 49 suspicious cases. In many, the workers were seated too high - higher than the side railings, the side boards or even the roof of the front cabin.

They were perched on metal crates, plastic chairs or work equipment, and looked to be seated more than 1.1m from the cargo deck. This could result in a fine of $200.

The height limit is one rule which took effect on Tuesday. The changes aimed at improving the safety of workers riding on the back of lorries were unveiled two weeks ago, following public discussion and government deliberation.

Another new rule requires passenger cabins to be filled up before workers can occupy the cargo decks. Heavier fines have also been put in place for breaching pre-existing rules, such as ferrying more workers than is allowed. The carrying capacity of each lorry is derived by allotting 0.372 sq m of space to each worker. Those who flout this rule may be fined $500, up from $200 in the past.

Along with the tighter rules and higher fines has come stringent enforcement. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) did not disclose the number of summonses issued on Tuesday, but its spokesman confirmed that enforcement was being stepped up.

She added that employers should take these measures seriously, and that the drivers of these lorries should look out for their charges.

Anyone who spots workers being ferried in a dangerous manner can call the LTA hotline on 1800-CALL-LTA.

This story is an abridged version of the full story published in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times
joolin@sph.com.sg
wendyhui@sph.com.sg