THE tragic death of 8-year-old Russell Koh, who was flung out of a minibus last month, has left many clamouring for seatbelts to be installed in all school buses.

And while this is a pressing issue some are questioning if the safety of workers being carried in open-top lorries should be looked into as well.

Dr Lee Dar Hong, associate professor of civil engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), believes that construction workers are in 'even greater danger than school children'.

He pointed out that the space at the back of the lorries, where workers sit, is meant for cargo, not passengers.

He felt that although the increased cost might be an issue for companies, 'it should not be a concern if we value the lives of the workers'.

Dr Lee's worry for the safety of construction workers is not unfounded.

In January, 53 foreign workers were injured in a multiple-lorry collision in Tuas.

It has been reported that 184 passengers on the cargo decks of lorries were hurt last year, with two deaths.

In 2006, there were 81 injuries and five fatalities.

Said Dr Russell Heng, treasurer of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2): 'Recent events have shown that we should upgrade our safety standards, whether for school children or for foreign workers.'

Citing the example of Australia, Dr Heng said there are countries that do not allow people to ride at the back of lorries.

'Some countries even insist that pets buckle up,' he added.

Although many in the construction industry, as well as transportation and safety experts, agreed that it is time to improve safety standards for construction workers, they were also quick to point out the difficulties of installing seatbelts on lorries.

Said Mr S T Chan, 59, who has been in the construction industry for more than 30 years: 'Workers need some form of protection, but giving them seatbelts might be overdoing it.

'It will not be practical to install seatbelts because you will need to customise the seatbelts and find a way to fix the seatbelts to the metal base of the lorry. How do you do that?

'Maybe we could start with providing bar handles, and reminding workers not to sit on the edge. It could be the start of a process that could lead to workers getting seatbelts in three years.'

However, Dr Chin Hoong Chor, a transportation expert at NUS, felt that seatbelts should not be installed because it might give people 'the wrong impression that a lorry is meant for carrying passengers'.

He said: 'It's complicated. A lorry is not a bus, it is not designed to carry people. LTA (Land Transport Authority) gives a concession here and allows workers to be ferried on lorries because there is no other alternative, because the workers have to travel with the equipment and cargo.'

When contacted, an LTA spokesman said that to enhance the safety of workers transported at the rear of lorries and pick-up trucks, they are required to be safely seated at a height of not more than 3.2 metres from the ground with the speed of such vehicles not exceeding 60 kmh.

Drivers must also display a label on their vehicles indicating the maximum number of workers that can be transported on the vehicle's cargo deck, based on the minimum space requirement of 0.372 square metres per person.

If goods are also transported, the number of persons should be reduced accordingly. The label serves as a reminder to the vehicle owner of the maximum number of workers the vehicle can carry, and facilitates enforcement of the rule.

To increase their protection, DrChin suggested that cargo which is too heavy, or machinery with sharp edges, should not be carried along with the workers.

He suggested imposing harsher fines on companies, drivers and workers caught flouting the rules.

Dr Chin added: 'So many don't seem to care about the rules now, but if we impose fines, people may become more serious. Just like how taxi drivers get penalised if their passengers do not belt up, we should have the same thing for lorry drivers.'

The LTA spokesman added that a work group, co-chaired by LTA and the Ministry of Manpower, has been formed and is reviewing the issue of the general safety of workers transported in lorries.

SAFETY FIRST

Four of the six experts The New Paper on Sunday spoke to said that one solution would be to carry construction workers on buses instead of lorries.

President of the National Safety Council of Singapore Tan Jin Thong said: 'The only alternative would be transporting workers in buses instead of lorries. Costs will come in again, but which is our priority? Safety or cost?

'If we can save lives, spending a bit more is worth it. We shouldn't let dollars and cents overshadow our objective of safety.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 11, 2008.