One foreign worker died last month after he was flung off a lorry. Others continue to endure similar conditions
EACH time some of these foreign workers go to work, they gamble with death.
The plight of foreign workers came to light again after 13 of them were flung off the back of a lorry when a car slammed into its rear last month.
One worker was killed.
Since 2001, at least 25 foreign workers have either died or been injured in similar accidents.
In 2003, the Land Transport Authority imposed new rules to improve the safety of these workers:
.Lorries and pickup trucks that transport workers have to display discs stating the number of workers they can carry.
.Each worker must have at least 0.372 sq m of space based on unoccupied deck area space. This is slightly bigger than two pages of The New Paper put together.
.Workers have to be seated no more than 3.2m off the ground and in such a way that they won't fall off.
.Vehicle must not exceed a speed limit of 60kmh while carrying workers.
Mr John Gee, president of workers' rights group Transient Workers Count Too, said that in cases where the rules are not followed, such transport for workers 'are accidents waiting to happen'.
'The workers are not belted down, and do not have comfortable seats to sit on. When it rains, they get all soaked,' he said.
Last month's accident also spawned a series of letters to the press.
Mr Rajeev Mukul, who wrote to The Straits Times Forum page, said: 'We are a hardworking, responsible and compassionate society, so why the double standards where safety is concerned?'
He noted that while working in Dubai a few years ago, he was struck by how workers there were transported in well-maintained air-conditionedbuses.
Another Forum writer, Mr Paul Staes, said he is disturbed each time he sees 'truckloads of people being transported like cattle on Singapore roads'.
Mr Jolovan Wham, the executive director of welfare group Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics, said employers should ideally charter buses or vans because they give better protection and are more comfortable.
'Companies do not want to do it because of cost. But while it may be more expensive at first, they could look upon it as an investment,' Mr Wham said.
'If something happens to their workers, they might have to pay for medical bills and work gets affected. Anyway, we are talking about human beings here.'
He suggested that lorries and pickups be fitted with higher railings at the sides as well as with canopies for better safety and protection.
It is an offence if a lorry owner, hirer or driver fails to display a maximum passenger capacity label, displays an incorrect one, or carries more people than allowed.
First-time offenders may be fined up to $1,000 or jailed up to three months. Repeat offenders may be fined a maximum of $2,000 or be jailed a maximum of six months.
source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...41510,00.html? 
'It's an accident waiting to happen' 
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