The construction site supervisor ignored the demolition safety protocol and instructed his subordinates to hack part of the two-story house from the ground.
As a result, the upper balcony slab where the worker was working collapsed, killing him and inflicting a severe fracture on another worker.
Malaysian supervisor King Chiew Fook, 55, was imprisoned for 11 months on Wednesday (June 15) after pleading guilty to committing negligence leading to the death of a worker and serious injury to another person. rice field.
Kong was the construction manager for Springview Enterprises and oversaw workers in a project to rebuild a two-story house on Aroozoo Avenue in Hougang between December 2018 and August 2019, said the Ministry of Human Resources (MOM). ) Prosecutor Mohd Fadhli told the court.
To rebuild the house, the existing structure had to be demolished, and the owner asked a professional engineer, Tiong Hoo Tuong, to create a demolition plan, instructions on how to do it, and a structural drawing.
These were necessary for the work to be permitted.
Kong was given a copy of the plan and oversaw the project.
On March 4, 2019, Kong instructed three workers, named only as Santo, Ponnir, and Ddin Shahab, to perform hacking work on the premises.
They worked upstairs and were instructed by Kong to hack the toilet wall and the balustrade wall on the back balcony.
After that, Kong went to another place, but the man was not supervised.
Completing the task at 1:00 pm, Ponnir built a one-tier scaffolding as a platform for hacking the top of the back balcony wall.
At 1:40 pm, Mr. Santo took over and hacked the balustrade wall on the second floor. At that moment, the floor slab on the balcony on the second floor collapsed and Mr. Santo was fixed underneath, the prosecution said.
Mr. Ponir, who was working on a step-by-step scaffolding, was also abandoned.
Before Mr. Santo was pulled out, workers rushed to the scene and used an excavator to lift the floor slab.
He was declared dead on the scene and reportedly died of a head injury.
Ponyl suffered from multiple fractures and was hospitalized for two months.
Investigation revealed that Kong was provided with a dismantling document that clearly stated that the work would be carried out using established safety protocols.
Prior to construction, he also asked Springview Director Heng Kong Chuan to adopt a top-down approach to demolition work, a roof-to-ground method that helps ensure structural stability of the building. Was prompted by. ..
However, Kong disregarded these rules and instructed his subordinates to follow an unsafe demolition sequence, hacking the back balcony support wall on the ground floor one month before the floor slab on the upper balcony.
As a result, the floor slabs on the balconies were unsupported, placed in the position of cantilever without stanchions, and tended to collapse, the prosecution said, adding that the scenario was warned by paperwork.
“He assumed that the balcony floor slab was strong enough to hold itself,” said Fadli, his experience, contrary to demolition plans, method instructions, and pre-work instructions. Was based only on. “
“His actions resulted in the collapse of the balcony slab, resulting in death (of Mr. Santo) and injury to Ponyl,” Fadli added, asking Kong for a 12 to 14-month prison.
Attorney Marshall Lim urged the judge to sentence Kong to up to 10 months in prison, and the record is clean because Kong was the only earner in the family and Kong and his wife were ill. He said he sought compassion.
He added that he believed that the cantilever balcony was stable because the ground floor structure that supported it had been removed a month before the accident.
Judge Janet Wang said Kong had false complacency.
“The lack of higher supervision for demolition work is evident,” she added.
MOM said Wednesday that Springview and its director were also charged with failing to take reasonably viable steps to ensure the safety of workers.
Sebastian Tan, an occupational health and safety inspector at MOM, urged the contractor to perform a thorough risk assessment of the demolition work and clearly communicate the plan to the team.
He added, “Under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, managers or supervisors can be personally liable for the revocation of health and safety, as indicated by Kong’s imprisonment.”
Kong could have been imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to $ 30,000 for committing negligence that endangered the safety and health of others.
