Man, 43, Dies After Falling from Height in Workplace Accident in Singapore
A 43-year-old Singaporean man died after falling from a tower at a worksite near the Padang on May 30 while he was abseiling.
The Ministry of Manpower said that the man, who was a freelance industrial rope access worker, was rappelling down an 18m-high steel tower on Connaught Drive when his single anchorage rope failed, leading him to plummet.
According to reports, the man was immediately taken to Singapore General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The ministry said, as quoted by The Straits Times, "As a general safety reminder, personnel descending tall steel towers must utilise appropriate fall protection systems, such as secondary independent lifelines and other suitable safety devices." The investigation is ongoing.
In a media statement, the man's employer, Showtec International, stated the victim was a rigger and that the company is aiding the man's family.
Riggers, according to the National Youth Council's Discover On My Way website, work with lifting equipment and perform regular system checks and maintenance.
Between February and April 2025, 13 stop-work orders and fines totaling more than $375,000 were issued to enterprises judged to have violated rules protecting workers performing duties in high areas, according to MOM earlier in May.
The safety infractions were identified during inspections of around 550 work sites from February to April.
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROHAN SENTHIL The concept of a vishing simulation platform was inspired by Mr Senthil's volunteering experience s when conducting classes where seniors could learn about online scams so they can better protect themselves. These were part of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore's (CSA) Cyber Safe Seniors Programme and the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) digital literacy workshops in 202 4. He recalled the confused looks on the elderly residents' faces when he verbally explained advancements in scam techniques, such as deepfakes. 'Sometimes scam-prevention lessons can be a bit dry. Even if I told the elderly to look out for various indicators of scams, they could not picture what I was explaining, so many of them seemed disengaged,' he said. He felt there was a better way of teaching scam prevention, by letting people experience what it was like to be on the receiving end of scam calls. 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A Jan 17 report in The Straits Times that mentioned their start-up caught the interest of a cyber-security company, which became their first commercial client. In Virage's voice scam simulation demo, users will choose a common scam scenario, such as the bank fraud prevention scenario above, before entering a call with an AI-powered 'scam caller'. PHOTO: VIRAGE CYBERSECURITY Corporate clients can subscribe to Virage services that 'test' employees' vulnerability to phone scams. Unsuspecting employees would receive a call from an internet-based phone number, to check if they would unwittingly disclose sensitive information. 'The data from these simulations allows the companies to assess their level of 'human risk',' said Mr Senthil. Such vulnerability assessments could be used by companies to attain certifications under the Cyber Trust mark, a national cyber-security certification offered by CSA. Mr Senthil added: 'The weakest link in any system is humans. 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He received the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Mathematics and Science this year for his academic excellence, as well as the Ngee Ann Kongsi Award for All-Round Achievement, for his holistic performance in his studies, leadership and community service. As a Digital for Life partner with IMDA, Virage also organises workshops and participates in roadshows on scam prevention, where people can try the AI vishing simulator and see how they fare under various scam scenarios. The team updates their scam scenario options regularly based on emerging scam trends, such as adding an 'Elections Department voter registration' scenario during the recent general election. About 1,000 people have tried their platform so far. 'They were quite amazed at how realistic the voice is, some people even wondered if it was an actual person calling them,' Mr Senthil said. Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that Virage further recruited four of Mr Senthil's NYP juniors as part of their core team. This has been corrected to four of his NYP schoolmates. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
International Business Times
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