Ian Cheng
The Straits Times
June 28, 2024

A 48-year-old SMRT bus driver has been suspended after an accident involving a construction worker at a junction in Anson Road near a construction site on June 27.

In videos circulating on social media, an SMRT bus can be seen turning right at a junction while a construction worker is placing a traffic cone on the leftmost lane.

The worker then appears to turn his back towards the bus as it approaches him. The bus then knocks the worker down, and at least one wheel of the bus appears to go over him. After the bus stops, the worker sits up, before being helped to his feet.

The police said he was conscious when he was taken to hospital.

Nowadays bus driver are all sleeping...

Posted by Arif Gondol on Thursday 27 June 2024

In response to queries, SMRT said the accident involved bus service 970.

Deputy managing director of SMRT Buses Vincent Gay said: “There were no passengers onboard the bus. The worker was taken to the hospital and our dedicated care team is in contact with the worker to offer assistance and support.

“The bus captain involved has been suspended and we are assisting the police in their investigations.”

The police and SCDF said they were alerted at about 5.25pm to the accident.

Responding to queries, a Manpower Ministry spokesperson said: “A 33-year-old Indian construction worker was hit by a public bus while working as a traffic controller.

“The injured worker, who sustained fractures to his right leg, was taken to the Singapore General Hospital.”

She added that all road users are advised to stay vigilant and be aware of their surroundings when driving.

Workers at building sites, too, must also be conspicuously attired and wear, for instance, a high visibility vest, to make themselves more visible to other road users, she said.

The spokesperson said the occupier and employer of the injured worker is HSC Pipeline Engineering, and that an investigation into the incident is under way.

In June alone, there have been at least four other accidents involving buses.

On June 11, two bus passengers were injured in an accident involving a bus and two cars at the intersection of Nicoll Highway and Bras Basah Road.

Two people were taken to hospital on the morning of June 8 after an accident involving a Tower Transit bus and a lorry on the Tampines Expressway. On the same day, a bus driver was taken to hospital after two off-service buses operated by Tower Transit collided in Sembawang.

On June 6, four bus passengers, including a 93-year-old, and a pedestrian were taken to hospital after an accident involving a Tower Transit bus and a trailer truck near Sim Lim Tower in Jalan Besar.

Singapore’s workplace fatality and major injury rates dipped to record lows in 2023, with 36 deaths and 590 major injuries. However, stricter measures have been implemented despite low incident rates.