Coroner Marvin Bay testified in court on Wednesday (19 July) during an inquiry into the death of Ahmmed Mohammad Manik, a 37-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker, who was working on the seventh-storey rooftop of a building in Westcove Condominium in the West Coast Crescent at Block 16, where he fell to his death.
What happened?
Ahmmed was with his colleague, Mr. Hossain Md Akter, who were assigned to the rooftop to perform some work, and Ahmmed was not wearing a harness at the time.
They had limited access to water at the time. The lack of hydration became apparent when Ahmmed started showing signs of heat stress.
Ahmmed and Mr. Hossain were sharing a mere 500ml bottle of water during their work at height.
After working for about 30 minutes under the scorching sun, Ahmmed informed Mr. Hossain about feeling unwell. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he requested water, but there was none left in their shared bottle.
Mr. Hossain went down to fetch some water, and when he returned, he found Ahmmed lying on the ground level, having suffered a fatal fall.
Authorities were alerted, and paramedics arrived at the scene promptly. Ahmmed was still breathing when they reached him, but unfortunately, he succumbed to his multiple injuries shortly before 1 pm that day. An autopsy later confirmed the cause of death.
MOM Investigations
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) conducted an investigation and discovered several shortcomings on the part of the waterproofing company, RJ Contract.
The company’s proposed fall prevention plans were not fully complied with, and there were no handholds to enable safe descent from a parapet wall to the roof.
Coroner Marvin Bay pointed out that employers should ensure that workers have timely access to water, particularly in countries with tropical climates.
Additionally, the employer, RJ Contract, was found to have failed in implementing proper work-at-height procedures, leading to this tragic accident.
Ahmmed’s Medical History
Ahmmed had previously experienced a fainting episode while working under the sun, for which he sought medical attention.
He was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, which could have contributed to his disorientation on the fateful day. However, it was established that he was not fatigued from strenuous labor or extended working hours at the time of the incident.