Chong Pang City construction site incident: Metal bar that damaged HDB block slipped from workers' hands

Construction works at the site are expected to resume on Tuesday, with additional safety measures to be put in place, the Singapore Land Authority said.

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SINGAPORE: A metal bar that fell from the Chong Pang City construction site in Yishun and damaged part of the roof of a nearby Housing Board block had slipped from workers' hands and deflected towards the block, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said on Monday (May 25).

Nobody was injured in the incident, which occurred on May 2.

Immediately following the incident, SLA directed the site's main contractor, Rich Construction Company, to stop all works there, the authority said in a media statement.

On May 4, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) issued a stop-work order and instructed a qualified person (QP) to investigate the incident and recommend remedial measures. The qualified person submitted their investigation report on the incident to BCA on May 8.

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"The investigation found that the incident occurred during dismantling works, when a metal bar slipped from the workers' hands," SLA said.

"The bar then struck a nearby material stacking rack, which caused the metal bar to deflect out of the work area and damage part of the roof of Block 103 (Yishun Ring Road).

"The QP has confirmed that there are no structural defects in the roof of Block 103, and that the flats and common corridor remain safe for residents."

SLA added that BCA had reviewed and accepted the remedial measures proposed by the qualified person, and lifted the stop-work order on May 20.

Construction works at Chong Pang City are expected to resume on Tuesday, the authority said.

"To prevent a recurrence, additional safety measures will be put in place on site," SLA said.

"These include full-height safety catch nets along the building perimeter, additional plywood barriers at dismantling areas to prevent objects from falling out, and the removal of all stacking racks and loose materials from dismantling areas."

The authority said that work to repair the block's damaged roof would also begin on Tuesday and is scheduled to be completed by Jun 3.

"As the overall roof structure remains intact and safe, residents can continue to use the common area and access the corridor during the works," SLA said.

"The safety of residents, workers and the surrounding community remains our top priority. We apologise for the anxiety and inconvenience caused to the residents," the authority added.

"SLA will continue to work closely with the relevant agencies and the contractor to ensure all works are carried out safely and in accordance with established procedures and standards."

In a Facebook post on Monday, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said he joined a video call with affected residents on Monday evening, together with grassroots leaders, SLA and the contractor.

"We shared the investigation findings, explained the additional safety precautions being implemented, and listened to residents' concerns and questions,” said Mr Shanmugam, who is also a Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC.

"Safety must continue to be the top priority as works resume."

Mr Shanmugam added that he and his team would continue working closely with residents, SLA, BCA and the contractor "to ensure the repair works are carried out carefully, safely and with minimal disruption to the community".

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