The Tampines Town Council will fine lift company Sigma Elevator for a safety breach at a Housing Board block, it said yesterday.
A Stomp reader, who did not wish to be named, said that a worker from the company had been cleaning a lift shaft on Wednesday afternoon, without putting up any signs or posting a lookout to stop people from using the lift.
The lift door on the first floor was partly open during the cleaning.
The reader said: “As usual, my daughter ran towards the lift to press the button… I saw the lift door was slightly open. The gap was big enough for a toddler to fall through.”
He stopped his child from running because he was afraid that she would “peep or look through the gap” out of curiosity.
He then saw a worker using a broom to clean the lift shaft at Block 886A, Tampines Street 83.
“This is a very serious lapse of safety,” he said.
Read also: Boon Lay resident hurt when HDB lift falls and rises unexpectedly
“No warning sign, supervisor or standby person and barricade at all. Any curious toddler may fall through the gap.”
Tampines Town Council said in a statement that it “views this incident seriously as the safety breach has endangered the lift worker as well as members of public”.
There should have been a safety barricade or a lookout, it said.
The town council’s general manager, Mr Chan Wee Lee, has called the managing director of Sigma Elevator over the matter, and the town council will levy a fine on the company for the breach.
The town council has also notified the Ministry of Manpower and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
BCA has arranged a site visit to investigate the matter, Tampines Town Council said.
It added that it does random checks on the estate’s lift maintenance and other contractors, to ensure that they carry out their work properly.
The town council urged residents and members of public who witness any unsafe acts by contractors to alert the Tampines Town Council by calling its hotline on 6781-2222 or by e-mailing feedback@ttc.org.sg.
Read also: New permit will be required for lifts to operate: BCA
This article was first published on Dec 23, 2016.
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