25-11-2024 (SINGAPORE) A workplace incident at Pasir Panjang Terminal has resulted in a forklift operator being hospitalised after a container toppled onto his vehicle during early morning operations, port authorities have confirmed.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:40 AM on Monday at Terminal 3’s container yard, according to PSA Singapore, the terminal’s operator. The 37-year-old operator was conscious when emergency services arrived at the scene and was subsequently transported to National University Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Eyewitness footage that has emerged online captures the dramatic sequence of events. The video shows the forklift attempting to lift a container when the operation appears to destabilise a stack of five containers positioned behind the vehicle. As the forklift attempts to reverse, the uppermost container detaches from the column and crashes onto the operator’s cabin before rolling onto the ground. The impact appears to have ejected the operator from the damaged cabin.
Additional footage from the scene depicts a precarious situation where four containers are shown leaning against the forklift’s front section, with the operator’s cabin visibly tilted backwards. Emergency responders, including at least six firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), were documented attending to an individual on the ground.
The SCDF confirmed their rapid response to the emergency call, which they received at 6:55 AM. The incident has drawn attention to workplace safety protocols at one of Asia’s busiest port facilities, which handles millions of container movements annually.
