PSA Singapore has suspended all empty container handling operations in a yard in the Southeast Asian port, after some stacked boxes toppled onto a forklift around 6.40 am local time on 25 November.
The accident in Pasir Panjang Terminal 3 caused the forklift driver, 37, to be injured, and he was sent to the National University Hospital in a conscious state. The driver sustained superficial injuries to his head and body and is warded in a stable condition.
Singapore’s Manpower Ministry ordered empty container handling to be paused while investigations are conducted. The ministry has also instructed PSA Singapore to carry out a safety time-out for its operations, meaning the port operator has to stop its daily work routine to take stock of and review workplace safety and health systems and work processes.
The ministry said: “As a general safety measure, containers need to be properly stacked according to the acceptable pattern and maximum height to prevent toppling.”
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said they received a call for help at about 6.55 am local time and sent an ambulance to the scene.
Closed-circuit footage of the incident circulated on social media and showed the forklift lifting a container.
As the forklift reversed, five stacked containers fell and one of the boxes landed on the cabin of the forklift. The impact caused the cabin to tilt backwards, and the driver fell to the ground moments later.
Empty containers are usually handled by forklifts, while loaded containers are processed by cranes.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
