During the first of 400 surprise inspections at worksites to be done by MOM, it found multiple safety lapses at one location on Fri last week. And it was witnessed by Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad who had gone to the Seah Construction worksite in Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 with MOM’s safety inspectors. The inspection was the first of the 400 additional checks announced by MOM last month, following nine fatal workplace accidents in Nov. It was the highest number of workplace fatalities in a month for this year. Code-named Operation Jaeger, the inspections will target high-risk industries such as construction, marine and manufacturing from now till mid-Feb next year. The lapses found on Fri included those relating to work at heights, scaffolding, formwork structures, excavation and housekeeping. MOM stopped all works at the site immediately. Photos of the inspection, uploaded to MOM’s FB page yesterday, showed piles of metal bars strewn dangerously across the site, a scaffold propped up on a thin block of wood and barricades that were ineffectively constructed.... Continue Reading