Worker found unconscious at Tuas Port Phase 2 construction site and passes away in hospital

SINGAPORE: A tragic incident occurred at the Tuas Port Phase 2 construction worksite on last Saturday (29 Jul) when a worker was found unconscious at the worksite and later passed away in a hospital.

According to a statement released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Monday (31 Jul), they were notified about an unconscious worker at the Tuas Port Phase 2 construction worksite on Saturday around 9 am.

The worksite safety coordinator administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the man before he was taken to the hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Unfortunately, the worker passed away in the evening on the same day.

The worker was employed by the Penta Ocean-Hyundai-Boskalis Joint Venture.

Investigations into the incident are currently underway. Both the MPA and the contractor are extending support to the deceased worker’s family.

This tragic incident marks the 17th workplace death in Singapore this year, following a year of increasing workplace fatalities with a recorded total of 46 in 2022—the highest number since 2016 when there were 66 fatalities.

The fatality rate rose to 1.3 per 100,000 workers last year, this was a notable increase from the previous year’s rate of 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2021.

On 13 July, a 30-year-old Indian worker died in a workplace accident at the Changi East project site, which involves the construction of Terminal 5 (T5) and an additional runway for Changi Airport.

The construction sector had the most number of fatalities with 14 cases reported.

Tuas Port phase 2 construction underway

The construction work for the second phase of the Tuas mega port commenced on 4 July 2019. This phase will oversee the development of an 8.6 km wharf structure, consisting of 227 caissons that will be fabricated on-site.

The Tuas Terminal Phase 2 reclamation project was awarded to the Penta Ocean-Hyundai-Boskalis Joint Venture by the MPA in 2018.

Spanning an area of 387 hectares, the second phase will be the largest among the four phases planned for the mega port’s development.

According to the MPA, all container operations in Singapore will eventually be consolidated at Tuas Terminal by the 2040s.