WORKERS TRAVELLING IN LORRIES AND PICK-UP TRUCKS (Numbers of injuries and fatalities)

Column No : 2113

WORKERS TRAVELLING IN LORRIES AND PICK-UP TRUCKS

**

(Numbers of injuries and fatalities): **

28.

Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide the numbers of injuries and fatalities to workers travelling in the cargo area of lorries and pickup trucks to or from the workplace in each of the years from 2000 to 2003.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Owners and hirers of goods vehicles are allowed to use their vehicles to transport their workers to their places of work or business, so as to reduce business cost. To ensure the safety of workers transported in the rear of such vehicles, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has put in place a set of measures. For example, the workers must be safely seated at a height of not more than 3.2 metres from the ground and the vehicle must not travel faster than 60km/h.

According to statistics provided by the Traffic Police, there were nine fatalities and 488 injuries to workers carried on the cargo decks of lorries and pick-up trucks in road accidents from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2004. The breakdown is as follows:

a) In 2000, there were 1 fatality and 94 injuries;
b) In 2001, there were 2 fatalities and 115 injuries;
c) In 2002, there were 1 fatality and 100 injuries;
d) In 2003, there were 5 fatalities and 92 injuries; and
e) In 2004, there were no fatalities and 87 injuries.

When normalised, this corresponds to an annual average fatality rate of 3.6 per 100,000 vehicles and an annual average injury rate of 196 per 100,000 vehicles. The fatality rate is about eight times lower and the injury rate is about six times lower than the annual average fatality and injury rates of all road accidents over the same period.

The LTA and the Traffic Police will continue to monitor the situation closely and conduct strict enforcement against lorry owners or drivers who violate safety rules when they are carrying workers on their vehicles.