Stories of Transient Workers in Singapore

Unsafe

The steel beneath my feet shook and shuddered as unrelenting wind buffeted me and my make-shift crossing. I’ll be fine, I thought. The plank should be properly secured. But before I knew it, I was falling. I landed on the platform two stories below with a dull thud. I winced as I slowly got up to inspect my surroundings. My whole body ached, but what caught my attention was my right hand, which was not responding as it normally should. With no one else in sight, I had no choice but to slowly hobble down the stairs and find my supervisor, who brought me to a clinic for a checkup. I eventually found out that I had sprained my left wrist and fractured the other. The doctor told me that I would require surgical treatment for my injuries, and I was scheduled an operation at Singapore General Hospital in four days.

Footnote:

This story depicts a violation of article 23 of the UDHR, which lists the right to favourable working conditions, and in this case, the right to work safely. As can be seen from the story, the worker fell down two stories while working, due to the poor working conditions he was subject to. Construction sites are extremely dangerous places by default, and the onus is on the company to ensure a safe working environment to prevent the injury of his workers. In this case, the employer was irresponsible, thus causing the worker to eventually suffer the consequences, which is unacceptable.