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All buildings that are near LTA worksites are constantly
monitored to ensure that they are structurally sound and safe for
use. LTA ensures that its contractors puts in place a comprehensive
set of equipment to monitor any movement. Instruments such as settlement
markers, electrolevel beams and inclinometers are installed in these
buildings, with readings taken at regular intervals.
Following this incident, there has been much interest in the safety
procedures during construction of road and rail projects. We would
like to assure you that we place much emphasis on safety during
the course of our work. There are also stringent measures in place
when awarding contracts.
If you want to learn more about how we carry our construction projects,
read on. There are four stages in this process:
Stabilising the incident site
Several safety measures were put in place on site immediately
after the incident. Firstly, a damaged canal within the collapsed
area was blocked up to prevent the flowing in of tidal water from
Kallang River. Canvas sheets were also placed on the surrounding
slopes and open areas to protect the soil. We had also filled the
cracks around the site with grout to prevent water seepage.
These efforts were put in place to prevent further movement within
the collapsed area. It was also vital to see to the safety of the
rescue personnel and the adjacent structures.
Keeping Merdeka Bridge Safe
Efforts were also underway to ensure the stability of nearby Merdeka
Bridge. The section of the bridge nearest to the incident site was
cut off to prevent its remaining structure from being weakened.
Once this was completed, Crawford Underpass, which is directly below
the bridge, was re-opened on 29 April 2004. Read more about the
separation process and history of the bridge here.
Safety reviewed at all other sites
Excavation works at all other CCL sites were put on hold
pending a safety review of the temporary works.
Engineers who had designed the temporary works have been asked to
check and confirm to our Building Control Unit (BCU) that these
designs are safe. In turn, these designs have also been sent to
the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) for their review.
BCA has also conducted site visits to ensure that the temporary
support structures and monitoring measures are securely in place.
Excavation works only resume once all safety aspects are found to
be in order. On 15 May 2004, BCA completed the review of four CCL
stations, which were given the green light to resume excavation.
They were Dhoby Ghaut, Convention, Millenia and Harbourfront stations.
Another four stations, Museum, Paya Lebar, Kim Chuan Depot and Old
Airport Road stations, were allowed to resume excavation works on
24 May 2004. On 4 June 2004, excavation works at four more stations
resumed, following the completion of BCA's review. These were Marymount,
Bishan, Serangoon and Upper Paya Lebar stations. Another two stations
were given the all-clear on 14 June 2004. They were Tanjong Katong
and MacPherson stations.
At our own initiative, works at Paya Lebar, Tanjong Katong and
Old Airport Road stations have been suspended pending the review
of the design of temporary works. These stations are being built
by the same contractor overseeing works at Nicoll Highway station.
The remaining four CCL stations, namely Bartley, Lorong Chuan,
Boulevard and Nicoll Highway, are still being reviewed.
Going beyond what’s required
We recognise the complex nature of our projects and are
committed to incorporate more stringent safety requirements into
our contract documents. We also have various safety measures in
place, over and above what are required under the Factories Act.
As a firm believer of the Safety First philosophy, we work closely
with the contractors to see this through. Some examples of what
we do:
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Contractors are required to conduct in-house
Safety Induction Course (SIC) for all workers before they are
allowed to work on site. This is to familiarise them with hazards
specific to their assigned scope of work.
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Before proceeding with critical work on site,
all contractors are required to submit method statements outlining
work and safety procedures, together with assessment of the
construction risks. This ensures that they have given due consideration
to safety of the work to be done.
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Contractors are also required to inspect the
cranes every 6 months, instead of yearly as stated under the
Factories Act. |
We have also put together an Occupational Safety & Health Management
(OSHM) manual and a Project Quality Management System (QMS). Besides
listing key safety programmes and work processes, they also stipulate
that a risk management process must be performed at various stages
of the project, i.e. at Concept Design, Detailed Design and Construction
stages. This way, all identified potential hazards can be recorded
and we can thus track the mitigating measures to eliminate, or reduce,
these hazards to an acceptable level.
Regular safety exercises on issues such as working at heights and
preventing objects from dropping are also conducted on sites.
There were seven stages to the whole process of rebuilding the
highway so that construction of Nicoll Highway Station could resume.
This took about seven months.
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