Waterproofing contractor Le Fong Building Services was barred from hiring foreign workers for a period of 3 months after one of its employee fell through a roof more than 8m high and sustained multiple bodily injuries. The incident happened after the worker stepped on a skylight panel which broke.
Upon inspection, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found unsafe work practices that contributed to the accident and also posed danger to other workers. As a result, all work at height activities will be suspended across all worksites for the company.
Le Fong became the first company to be dealt with under MOM’s stricter measures, under a 6 month “heightened safety” period from 1 Sep to 28 Feb 2023, in a bid to stem the high number of workplace fatalities so far this year, which is equal to the total number of deaths of 37 for the whole of 2021.
This will no doubt lead to massive delays in projects that the company is working on, as the stop-work orders will only be lifted when MOM is satisfied that rectifications have been made and systems are in place to ensure no further lapses, and hit the company straight in the pockets. The company may also be hit with penalties from its customer for late handovers.
With the injury suffered by the worker, it is likely that the company will face higher ratings for its work injury compensation insurance premium upon renewal as well.
As much as meeting deadlines and generating revenues are important, safety should be of the utmost priority for companies. Without workers, companies will not be able to function properly and as this incident has shown, one accident is all it takes to ground everything to a halt. Contact MAKinsure should you require assistance for your insurance quotes.