Concrete falls from Jurong West HDB worksite, cars covered in cement, windshields broken

Not bird poop.

Julia Yee | May 24, 2024, 02:38 PM

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Several cars parked close to a Housing and Development Board (HDB) construction site were apparently damaged by falling cement.

Photos put up on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page showed a number of the damaged cars that were parked in one row.

According to the post, the incident took place on May 23, 2024, at Block 959 Jurong West Street 91.

Cars damaged

At first glance, the cars appeared to have been covered in bird excrement.

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Upon closer inspection, the substance was revealed to be cement or concrete debris, which cracked the rear glass windscreen of one car.

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Another car's rear windshield was completely shattered.

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Among the cars affected was a black BMW.

A photo showed one construction worker trying to hose down a car.

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

Some in the comments section took to blaming the drivers for parking near a construction site, claiming that they were "inviting problems".

Comment on Facebook

However, those who rebutted the suggestion said such an occurrence should not have happened.

Building is part of HDB project

The cement was believed to have fallen from a high-rise building at the construction site that was being constructed.

Image via Nazrin Shah/Facebook

A notice on the barricade indicated that the worksite is part of a HDB housing project, which is expected to wrap up development by 2025.

The project title revealed that the site comprised of two blocks of 14-storey residential buildings housing a total of 221 units.

HDB responds

In response to Mothership's queries, HDB confirmed that the incident took place at the Nanyang Opal BTO construction site on May 23, when a bucket carrying remnant concrete mixture was being lifted up.

The rope operating the discharge valve of the concrete bucket became entangled with the props used to support the parapet wall.

As a result, the concrete mixture discharged from the bucket, and spattered onto four cars parked just outside the site hoardings, and one of the car’s drivers.

No one suffered any injuries, HDB said.

However, there was "some damage" to three of the cars, while the fourth was stained with concrete spatter.

HDB apologised and said the building contractor has been in touch with the affected driver and the other car owners.

They are also working to review the incident and enhance the site’s work processes to prevent a recurrence.

HDB said they take "a serious view of this incident":

"Safety at our worksites is of utmost priority. We will investigate the incident thoroughly to learn the right lessons and take the necessary follow-up actions with the building contractor. We will continue to work with our industry partners to strengthen workplace safety at our worksite."

Top images via Nazrin Shah/Facebook