Singapore, Oct 6 An Indian-origin construction worker in Singapore has been sentenced to 16 weeks in jail for negligence leading to the death of a fellow worker in a vehicular accident last year, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Friday.
Muthukaruppan Suresh was working as a wheel loader operator when the accident took place on April 22, 2022.
Arumugam Saravanan, a lifting supervisor, walked across a vehicular access driveway towards a sheltered rest area for his morning break when Suresh struck him with the front left bucket of the wheel loader.
"Saravanan fell and was run over by the wheel loader's front and rear left wheels," the MOM stated in a release, adding that the victim was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Investigations showed that Suresh was negligent in his duties as a wheel loader operator, the Ministry was quoted as saying in a Channel News Asia report.
"If Suresh had not raised the bucket to a point where his line of vision was obstructed, he would not have collided into the deceased," it said.
The sentencing comes after another Indian-origin man, Alagappan Ganesan, was handed 18 weeks in jail in August for his negligence, which led to a co-worker's death.
Last month, a 34-year-old Indian national died after being hit by a steel bar at a construction site in Singapore where he worked.
There have been at least 19 work-related deaths in Singapore so far in 2023, in comparison to a total of 30 workplace fatalities in the whole of 2020, 37 in 2021 and 46 in 2022.
The alarming rise in the number of workplace fatalities was raised in the parliament last month, after a safety period that was put in place from last September to May to curb such accidents, was lifted.
Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the maximum fine for breaches of certain workplace safety and health laws that could result in death or serious injury will be raised from SG$20,000 to SG$50,000 to further improve deterrence.
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