A Bangladeshi worker in Singapore, 47-year-old Janaed, fell from a height of 3.7 metres at a worksite back in 2018 and ended up being paralysed from the neck down.
He has since been awarded $971,000 in damages from the management corporation of Westgate Tower.
Janaed was inspecting an overhead chiller in the mechanical and electrical room at West Gate Tower in Jurong East on 8 November 2018 when he fell, sustaining spinal injuries as a result.
His former employer, Newtec Engineering, is being charged in court for not having the mandatory insurance for him and also for not paying his medical bills.
Part of the $971,000 compensation awarded to Janaed will go to National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital, with the amounts being $149,281.20 and $58,081,09 respectively.
Following the accident, Janaed spent 91 days at NUH and 152 days at Alexandra Hospital.
How he got injured
Janaed was engaged by STA Rita Engineering Services to inspect a chiller at Westgate Tower and used a fireman’s ladder to climb to the top of the chiller located in the mechanical and electrical room.
He then used his phone to take photos of one of the affected switches while standing on top of the chiller, holding his phone in one hand and using his other hand to zoom in on the camera while taking a photo of the switch, when he then fell and injured himself.
He was not using any safety harness or belt at the time and there were also no guard rails at the top of the chiller.
Following his paralysis, Janaed sued:
- Newtec Engineering,
- Mr Felizardo Paras Jose (the de facto employer and owner of STA Rita Engineering Service),
- The MCST responsible for the maintenance of Westgate Tower and
- Zoe International (the main contractor hired to do air-conditioning and ventilation works for Westgate Tower,).
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by the MCST back in June 2022 over its joint 70% liability with STA Rita Engineering for the negligence that resulted in the accident.
Janaed also appealed but failed to reduce the High Court’s findings back in August 2021 that he was 30% to blame for the accident.
Janaed’s 43-year-old brother, who also suffered leg injuries after falling more than 3 metres while performing aircon maintenance work at a Starbucks outlet in United Square on 7 April 2018, has a separate lawsuit ongoing.