As reported in the newspaper, on Wednesday this week there were 3 (three) accidents involving lorries that ferry workers. The most serious one with casualties claimed the life of 3 (three) workers with many injured.

Reflect on those cases, the management would again highlight the importance of road safety to all company motorists (especially for those who ferry workers) to ascertain they abide the regulations.

And also, for those soccer fans, yeah.. It’s a ‘world cup’ season and we could enjoy this 4-yearly event very much 😉 But please ensure to have enough rest for working days and refrain yourself to ‘drink’ excessively while watching the matches.

The message was strictly emphasized by the management in recent EHS committee meeting and instructed the Site Management team to observe on this matter and to pass down the message to all supervisors and workers on their respective sites. Anyone who found unfit to work (due to lack of sleep, etc) shall be withdrawn from site to avoid any potential Safety Risk for him and others; HR department to be informed afterward.

Additionally, for your perusal, below is LTA News Release published on 18/08/2009 pertaining various measures to enhance safety of workers transported on lorries. It is phased in over 3 years. Read on below.

LTA NEWS: More Stringent Measures To Enhance Safety Of Workers Transported On Lorries

From 1 September 2009

1. Lower maximum allowable height of a seated worker.
   To further lower the risk of a worker falling off from the back of a lorry, no part of the worker when he is in a sitting position shall be more than 1.1 metres from the carriage deck. This is lower than the current requirement which specifies that no part of the worker, when he is in a sitting position, shall be more than 3.2 metres above the road surface.
2. Passenger seat(s) in the lorry’s cabin must be filled up before workers can be carried at the rear carriage of lorries.
   All the passenger seat(s) in the lorries’ cabin must be filled up before workers can be transported on the carriage deck. Aside from the benefit of having more passengers seated in a safer environment, the front seat passenger(s) can also assist the driver by ensuring that workers carried on the carriage deck area, if any, are properly seated, and remind the driver to abide by the speed limit.
3. Enforcement operations further stepped up.
   Enforcement activities have been intensified against lorry drivers who do not observe safety regulations since 2008. This will be further stepped up.
4. Penalties for non-compliance enhanced.
   Penalties will be enhanced for drivers and owners who fail to comply with safety regulations, including carrying excess workers above the vehicle’s Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC).



In recent accident, it was found that an excess passenger over-crowded at the back of the lorry. The 10-foot Toyota Dyna lorry was occupied with 17 people at the back meant to sit only 13 people. Under LTA guidelines, if lorries exceed less than 25 per cent of its allocated capacity, a fine of $500 will be imposed, and if they exceed 25 per cent, the violator will be prosecuted in court, which could lead to a maximum jail term of six months.

5. Hotline to report non-compliance with safety regulations
   The public can help by calling the LTA Hotline (1800-CALL LTA) to report any instances of non-compliance spotted on the road, such as lorries carrying excess workers or in a dangerous / precarious manner.
6. Expand outreach programmes
   Ensuring safety is the joint responsibility of the Government, employers, drivers, workers and other road users. Government agencies such as LTA, MOM, Traffic Police and the various associations will continue in outreach programmes to educate employers and workers on their responsibilities and showcase welfare and safety best practices.



From 1 January 2010

7. Lorries registered from 1 January 2010 and used for carrying workers on the carriage deck must be fitted with higher protective side railings – up to a height of at least 700 mm (up from 550 mm) from the carriage deck, and at least 300 mm (up from 150 mm) from the top of the side-boards. To effectively shelter workers from inclement weather, lorries will also need to be fitted with canopies if they are to carry passengers on the carriage deck.



From 1 September 2012

8. Minimum deck space required per seated worker will be doubled to 8 square feet from the current 4 square feet from 1 September 2012. This will reduce the number of workers that can be transported on lorries as compared to what is stipulated today, and will lower the risk exposure in the event of an accident. The lead time of three years will also allow businesses to phase in operational changes and make decisions on their existing assets.

Measures for existing lorries

5. For existing lorries, owners will be given a lead time of three years (i.e. up to 31 August 2012) to install the higher protective side railings and canopies, if they are to continue to be used to transport workers.
6. For more details of the new measures, please see Safety of Workers - ANNEX B
7. In addition, current safety regulations as follows will continue to apply:
1. Vehicle must not travel faster than the posted road speed limit or the vehicle speed limit of 60 km/h, whichever is lower
2. Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC) label must be displayed on the lorry. Owners who wish to use their lorries to carry their workers must display a Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC) label on the right side of the rear tailboard indicating the maximum number of workers that can be transported.
3. Goods transported must be properly secured
   If goods are also transported, they must be properly secured such that they will not endanger the workers carried or other road users 3 .

Note: 3) Open lorries with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 3,500 kg which are only used to transport goods (i.e. not used to transport workers) will still be required to have side protective railings along the sideboards of the rear carriage deck to prevent goods from falling off the carriage deck).