Crane seen lifting heavy load over traffic; contractor ordered to stop work

SINGAPORE – A contractor in a National Parks Board (NParks) project in Tampines has been ordered to stop further lifting works after photos of a crane carrying a heavy load over traffic were shared on social media.

Photos posted by SG Road Vigilante on Facebook on Nov 22 show a crane lifting a large load towards four workers on an overhead pedestrian bridge while a steady flow of cars passes below.

A sign on the side of the bridge shows the height limit to be 4.5m.

NParks’ group director of streetscape Oh Cheow Sheng told The Straits Times on Nov 26 that the board was alerted to the safety lapse involving an NParks contractor carrying out planting works at an overhead bridge in Tampines Avenue 10.

Mr Oh said NParks immediately directed the contractor to stop further lifting works and began investigating the incident. 

NParks issued a safety infringement fine to the contractor on Nov 24.

The work crew involved in the incident have also been suspended from lifting operations until they have undergone work safety retraining, Mr Oh said.

The public can use the OneService mobile app to report incidents or call the NParks helpline at 1800-471-7300 for urgent cases.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.