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Burglars steal $35,000 from Pulau Ubin House
By KC Vijayan
The Straits Times, 17 May 2004
TWO dogs in the compound of a wooden house on Pulau Ubin did not stop the home from being broken into and the burglars getting away with $35,000 in cash on Saturday morning.
The incident is believed to be the first reported burglary involving such a
large sum to have occurred on the island in recent times. Burglary is rare there and on the occasions it has happened, only small sums
have been taken.
Home owner Moh Seng Whee, 65, and his wife, Madam Ee Yam Ngoh, 56, left the house at around 7am. She went fishing and he to drive his cab. When Madam Ee, who is also a taxi driver on the island, returned about two hours later, she spotted a side door to the living room had been forced open and called her husband.
They found that about $15,000 in cash that he had placed in an unlocked top
drawer in the room was no longer there. About $20,000 in cash which she had hidden in an adjacent store room in a plastic bag was also missing. The other three rooms in their home were not disturbed. Neither of them had known where the other's money was kept, said Mr Moh.
Mr Moh, who has lived on the island from birth, said the money was the result of 10 years of saving, plus contributions from their daughter who lives on the mainland.
The Mohs have lived in the single-storey wooden house, located about 1km from the island's jetty, for more than 40 years. The first sound that greets any visitor is the barking of their two dogs.
Mr Moh said that though he had a bank account, he and his wife kept cash at home for their daily and other general expenses. But they would not be doing so
any more.
He added that it pained him to think of the losses.
The police are investigating the case and have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 1800-255-0000.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Couple loses S$35,000 life savings in Pulau Ubin break-in
By : Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia
Date : 16 May 2004 1830 hrs (GMT)
SINGAPORE : A couple lost S$35,000 in cash when their house on Pulau Ubin was broken into on Saturday.
Both husband and wife had left their house at 7 am, returning two hours later to find their life savings gone.
Moh Seng Hwee and his wife are both taxi drivers plying the roads of idyllic Pulau Ubin .
They normally do not lock up their house, and when they left home on Saturday morning, it was just a normal day.
But when his wife returned at 9 am, she was heartbroken.
"When she got back, she found the house ransacked. She called and told me the money's gone," said Mr Moh.
The door linking the kitchen to the living room was also broken.
Mr Moh's wife, in her mid-50s, discovered her S$20,000 in cash missing. It had been hidden in between egg-trays and wrapped in a red plastic bag.
Also missing was Mr Moh's S$15,000 in cash, kept in a black pouch in an unlocked drawer in the living room.
Anyone with information on the case can call the police hotline at 1800-255 0000. - CNA
Date : 16 May 2004 1830 hrs (GMT)
SINGAPORE : A couple lost S$35,000 in cash when their house on Pulau Ubin was broken into on Saturday.
Both husband and wife had left their house at 7 am, returning two hours later to find their life savings gone.
Moh Seng Hwee and his wife are both taxi drivers plying the roads of idyllic Pulau Ubin .
They normally do not lock up their house, and when they left home on Saturday morning, it was just a normal day.
But when his wife returned at 9 am, she was heartbroken.
"When she got back, she found the house ransacked. She called and told me the money's gone," said Mr Moh.
The door linking the kitchen to the living room was also broken.
Mr Moh's wife, in her mid-50s, discovered her S$20,000 in cash missing. It had been hidden in between egg-trays and wrapped in a red plastic bag.
Also missing was Mr Moh's S$15,000 in cash, kept in a black pouch in an unlocked drawer in the living room.
Anyone with information on the case can call the police hotline at 1800-255 0000. - CNA
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
"Flying elephants do not cross the river"
"World has turned, but have we?" by Richard Lim
The Sunday Times, Page 4, Sunday, 25th May 1997.
"In Chinese chess or xiangchi, one player has two elephants, among other pieces, and his opponent, two ministers, because the two words sound alike (xiang). They are roughly the equivalent of the bishops in chess, except that the elephants and ministers cannot cross the half- line of the xiangshi board, which is marked by a river.
An age-old proverb has come out of this rule: fei xiang bu guo he, or "flying elephants do not cross the river". There are just some things that one cannot do.
But in 1990, two elephants swam across the strait from Johor to Pulau Tekong, and in the following year, another one swam across to Pulau Ubin. I remember a former colleague laughing about it then - another truism turned on its head."
Originally posted to Pulau Ubin Mailing List, 3rd April 2004
The Sunday Times, Page 4, Sunday, 25th May 1997.
"In Chinese chess or xiangchi, one player has two elephants, among other pieces, and his opponent, two ministers, because the two words sound alike (xiang). They are roughly the equivalent of the bishops in chess, except that the elephants and ministers cannot cross the half- line of the xiangshi board, which is marked by a river.
An age-old proverb has come out of this rule: fei xiang bu guo he, or "flying elephants do not cross the river". There are just some things that one cannot do.
But in 1990, two elephants swam across the strait from Johor to Pulau Tekong, and in the following year, another one swam across to Pulau Ubin. I remember a former colleague laughing about it then - another truism turned on its head."
Originally posted to Pulau Ubin Mailing List, 3rd April 2004
"Pulau Ubin abode for Thai monk"
By COLUM MURPHY, Bangkok Post, 3rd July 2003
Singapore -- For three months, Buddhist monk Phrakru Panna Dhamvithes walked south from his native Phattalung province in southern Thailand in search of a spiritual haven where he could build a temple and meditate. In May 1986, he finally found his piece of paradise in a somewhat unusual place - Singapore. He has been there ever since.
Phraku Panna's new home is not among the shopping malls and high rise buildings on Orchard Road, but among the mangroves and thick forests of Pulau Ubin, one of the islands that makes up Singapore.
It is not difficult to see why he settled on Pulau Ubin.
A short 10-minute ride in a bumboat from Changi jetty, the island is a welcome enclave of raw nature in the otherwise clinically pristine city-state. Singapore still has a soul and it can be found on Pulau Ubin, Malay for `Rock Island.'
The trouble is, while visitor numbers are growing, the local population is dwindling, and it may be only a matter of time before the island loses what is arguably its greatest attraction_its people.
According to legend, the island was created when an elephant, a pig and a frog decided to race each other across the stretch of water from the main island of Singapore to the shore at Johor. Whoever lost the race would be transformed into stone. Since none of the three reached land, the elephant and the pig became the granite rock that is Pulau Ubin, while the frog became Pulau Sekudu (Frog Island).
Eight kilometres long and 1.7 kilometres wide, boomerang-shaped Pulau Ubin is densely covered with mangroves and secondary forest. The island is home to some rare animals and birds including red junglefowl, wild pigs and oriental pied hornbills.
But flora and fauna are only part of its attraction. The island boasts the last few remaining kampong, or traditional villages, in the whole of Singapore. They date back to the middle of the 19th century with the arrival of a group of Malays. The Chinese followed soon after.
At 99 years of age, the village chief Mr Lim Chye Soo has seen it all. When he arrived at the age of 30 from Swatow in China, the island was prospering thanks to its rich granite reserves - the Raffles Lighthouse was built using Ubin granite. Much of the original vegitation had been cleared for the cultivation of rubber and crops such as coffee, pineapple, coconut and jasmine. At its peak, 2,000 residents lived on Pulau Ubin. Thanks to Mr Lim's efforts, the island got its first school when Bin Kiang School opened in the 1952.
Over the years with the erosion of competitiveness in granite and rubber, people began to leave - or were resettled - on the mainland. Bin Kiang School closed its doors in 1985, and today there are only 100 residents remaining on the island. Fourteen families are Malay, the remainder Chinese. Largely reliant on diesel generators for electricity and wells for water, their lifestyle shows the humble past of modern day Singapore.
Now ecotourism is touted as the island's "saviour''.
Each day the bumboats pull into the jetty at Pulau Ubin offloading predominantly Singaporean tourists from the mainland. Last year 300,000 visitors came to the island to take advantage of the recreational opportunities on offer. Cycling is one of the main draws and the bike rental shops vie for customers near the jetty. Hiking and camping are also popular _ there even is an educational nature trail specifically designed for the visually impaired. And during religious festivals, vistors join locals in prayer and meditation at the island's numerous temples and shrines _ among them Phrakru Panna's Thai temple, and the shrine at Aik Hwa Granite Quarry, which supposedly houses the remains of a German girl who died during World War I.
Mr Ali bin Montail is the 75-year-old leader of the Malay community on Pulau Ubin. Raised on the island, he left to work on the mainland with the British RAF before retiring back to the island in 1965 where he now runs a coffee shop. He says that the island is now much cleaner than it was before.
Singapore's National Parks (NParks) manages large chunks of Pulau Ubin. In addition to reforestation with primary forest - a project that could take over 100 years to achieve - NParks is also responsible for protecting the environment at Pulau Ubin.
Given the volume of visitors, this is not an easy task.
Last year, following public outcry, the government abandonned planned reclamation projects on the island's east coast to avoid impacting marine wildlife at Tanjong Chek Jawa. Saved from damaging development, the site now faces another challenge_the harm that could be done by over-enthusiastic tourists. To prevent this NParks organises tours to the area in a bid to limit the environmental impact of tourists.
In spite of NParks' efforts, the daytrippers are starting to take their toll. On the north side of the island at Noordin Beach, Singapore's only natural sandy beach, polysterene cups litter areas of the sand_washed up by low tides or left behind by careless campers.
Now, visitor numbers look set to increase even further as NParks is converting a former quarry into a mountain bike course, capable of staging international competitions.
The good news is that the Urban Redvelopment Authority (URA), Singapore's national planning authority, has recently pledged to keep the island as it is.
The bad news is that URA says it will do so for "as long as the the island is not required for development.''
It is unclear whether this curious caveat constitutes a firm commitment to keeping the island in its current green state indefinitely or if it is merely a stay of execution.
But Mr Ali is still hopeful for the future, and is quietly confident that the island can be kept as it is now so that fuure generations might know what kampong life is like.
But will it be preserved as some curious relic to the past, a type of open-air museum, rather than as a living, vibrant, real community?
There appears to be widespread resignation that population decline is irreversible. And in the absence of proactive policies to promote repopulation of the island, it seems inevitable that the 100 residents will soon whittle down to zero.
Perhaps in its zeal to protect the island's flora and fauna and promote it as Singapore's ``recreational zone,'' Pulau Ubin most precious asset_its people_will be overlooked. Without a vibrant local community to continue the legacy of Messrs Lim and Ali it might only be a matter of time before the island loses its soul and becomes just another entertainment zone for stressed-out city dwellers, becoming a greener yet equally heartless Sentosa Island.
Back at the Thai temple, Phrakru Panna mediates, oblivious to the social and environmental changes taking place around him. He says he wants to stay forever on Pulau Ubin teaching meditation.
But if the population of locals continues to decline, it could be that his future congregations will be made up exclusively of curious mountain-biking daytrippers.
First posted to Pulau Ubin Mailing List on 19th March 2004
Singapore -- For three months, Buddhist monk Phrakru Panna Dhamvithes walked south from his native Phattalung province in southern Thailand in search of a spiritual haven where he could build a temple and meditate. In May 1986, he finally found his piece of paradise in a somewhat unusual place - Singapore. He has been there ever since.
Phraku Panna's new home is not among the shopping malls and high rise buildings on Orchard Road, but among the mangroves and thick forests of Pulau Ubin, one of the islands that makes up Singapore.
It is not difficult to see why he settled on Pulau Ubin.
A short 10-minute ride in a bumboat from Changi jetty, the island is a welcome enclave of raw nature in the otherwise clinically pristine city-state. Singapore still has a soul and it can be found on Pulau Ubin, Malay for `Rock Island.'
The trouble is, while visitor numbers are growing, the local population is dwindling, and it may be only a matter of time before the island loses what is arguably its greatest attraction_its people.
According to legend, the island was created when an elephant, a pig and a frog decided to race each other across the stretch of water from the main island of Singapore to the shore at Johor. Whoever lost the race would be transformed into stone. Since none of the three reached land, the elephant and the pig became the granite rock that is Pulau Ubin, while the frog became Pulau Sekudu (Frog Island).
Eight kilometres long and 1.7 kilometres wide, boomerang-shaped Pulau Ubin is densely covered with mangroves and secondary forest. The island is home to some rare animals and birds including red junglefowl, wild pigs and oriental pied hornbills.
But flora and fauna are only part of its attraction. The island boasts the last few remaining kampong, or traditional villages, in the whole of Singapore. They date back to the middle of the 19th century with the arrival of a group of Malays. The Chinese followed soon after.
At 99 years of age, the village chief Mr Lim Chye Soo has seen it all. When he arrived at the age of 30 from Swatow in China, the island was prospering thanks to its rich granite reserves - the Raffles Lighthouse was built using Ubin granite. Much of the original vegitation had been cleared for the cultivation of rubber and crops such as coffee, pineapple, coconut and jasmine. At its peak, 2,000 residents lived on Pulau Ubin. Thanks to Mr Lim's efforts, the island got its first school when Bin Kiang School opened in the 1952.
Over the years with the erosion of competitiveness in granite and rubber, people began to leave - or were resettled - on the mainland. Bin Kiang School closed its doors in 1985, and today there are only 100 residents remaining on the island. Fourteen families are Malay, the remainder Chinese. Largely reliant on diesel generators for electricity and wells for water, their lifestyle shows the humble past of modern day Singapore.
Now ecotourism is touted as the island's "saviour''.
Each day the bumboats pull into the jetty at Pulau Ubin offloading predominantly Singaporean tourists from the mainland. Last year 300,000 visitors came to the island to take advantage of the recreational opportunities on offer. Cycling is one of the main draws and the bike rental shops vie for customers near the jetty. Hiking and camping are also popular _ there even is an educational nature trail specifically designed for the visually impaired. And during religious festivals, vistors join locals in prayer and meditation at the island's numerous temples and shrines _ among them Phrakru Panna's Thai temple, and the shrine at Aik Hwa Granite Quarry, which supposedly houses the remains of a German girl who died during World War I.
Mr Ali bin Montail is the 75-year-old leader of the Malay community on Pulau Ubin. Raised on the island, he left to work on the mainland with the British RAF before retiring back to the island in 1965 where he now runs a coffee shop. He says that the island is now much cleaner than it was before.
Singapore's National Parks (NParks) manages large chunks of Pulau Ubin. In addition to reforestation with primary forest - a project that could take over 100 years to achieve - NParks is also responsible for protecting the environment at Pulau Ubin.
Given the volume of visitors, this is not an easy task.
Last year, following public outcry, the government abandonned planned reclamation projects on the island's east coast to avoid impacting marine wildlife at Tanjong Chek Jawa. Saved from damaging development, the site now faces another challenge_the harm that could be done by over-enthusiastic tourists. To prevent this NParks organises tours to the area in a bid to limit the environmental impact of tourists.
In spite of NParks' efforts, the daytrippers are starting to take their toll. On the north side of the island at Noordin Beach, Singapore's only natural sandy beach, polysterene cups litter areas of the sand_washed up by low tides or left behind by careless campers.
Now, visitor numbers look set to increase even further as NParks is converting a former quarry into a mountain bike course, capable of staging international competitions.
The good news is that the Urban Redvelopment Authority (URA), Singapore's national planning authority, has recently pledged to keep the island as it is.
The bad news is that URA says it will do so for "as long as the the island is not required for development.''
It is unclear whether this curious caveat constitutes a firm commitment to keeping the island in its current green state indefinitely or if it is merely a stay of execution.
But Mr Ali is still hopeful for the future, and is quietly confident that the island can be kept as it is now so that fuure generations might know what kampong life is like.
But will it be preserved as some curious relic to the past, a type of open-air museum, rather than as a living, vibrant, real community?
There appears to be widespread resignation that population decline is irreversible. And in the absence of proactive policies to promote repopulation of the island, it seems inevitable that the 100 residents will soon whittle down to zero.
Perhaps in its zeal to protect the island's flora and fauna and promote it as Singapore's ``recreational zone,'' Pulau Ubin most precious asset_its people_will be overlooked. Without a vibrant local community to continue the legacy of Messrs Lim and Ali it might only be a matter of time before the island loses its soul and becomes just another entertainment zone for stressed-out city dwellers, becoming a greener yet equally heartless Sentosa Island.
Back at the Thai temple, Phrakru Panna mediates, oblivious to the social and environmental changes taking place around him. He says he wants to stay forever on Pulau Ubin teaching meditation.
But if the population of locals continues to decline, it could be that his future congregations will be made up exclusively of curious mountain-biking daytrippers.
First posted to Pulau Ubin Mailing List on 19th March 2004
Eradication of the silicosis problem in Singapore
Asian-Pacific Regional Network on Occupational Safety and Health Information (ASIA-OSH). Mineral dusts and prevention of silicosis, vol 4; No.2, September 1997
Eradication of the silicosis problem in Singapore.
By Lee Hock Siang.
Updated by PAP/SUT/TRS.
Approved by BKL. Last updated on 12 February 2001
Introduction
When Singapore launched its industrialisation programme in the 1960s, the importance of protecting workers from occupational health hazards was foreseen. The government established the Industrial Health Unit in 1970. Focusing attention on the problem of silicosis in Singapore was the new Unit. The Unit is now known as the Department of Industrial Health (DIH), Ministry of Labour.
The DIH keeps the statistics on all reported and verified occupational diseases. The Factories Act of 1970 made silicosis an industrial disease that should be reported. Silicosis was the leading occupational disease in the early 1970s, and it was the leading occupational respiratory disease in the 1970s and 1980s (Figure 1). At end of 1995, 362 cases of silicosis had been verified, 8% of which were contracted in granite quarries (Table 1).
High risk of silicosis in granite quarries in the 1970s
In 1970, there were 25 granite quarries employing about 1,200 workers. Quarry operations involve drilling, blasting and stone breaking at the quarry face; the granite rocks are then loaded and transferred to the crushing plant for crushing and screening. Dust monitoring carried out in 1968 and 1971 revealed very high dust levels.
Radiological surveys
A radiological survey of 1,188 granite quarry workers in 1965 revealed that 8% had silicosis. A follow-up survey of 1,230 quarry workers, carried out in 1971, showed that 15% had silicosis (1).
Consultation with WHO
The government took a serious view of the situation, and in 1972 a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant in industrial hygiene was engaged to study the dust control problems in granite quarries. The consultant concluded that there was a serious dust hazard in the quarries and recommended that: 1) quarry operators should be required to take action to reduce dust levels 2) each quarry should submit a plan of action 3) regulations should be developed for the control of dust in quarries 4) quarry operators should establish a dust monitoring programme.
All of these recommendations were implemented by the government.
Study on the sources and extent of dust emission
Following the WHO Study, the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) in 1972, in cooperation with the Granite Quarry Owners and Employers Association of Singapore, carried out a survey covering 21 quarries. The report published in 1973 (2) found that only one of the quarries had an effective dust control system and that 50% of the larger quarries had very high levels of dust emission. The major sources of dust emission were drilling operations, crushing units, screen units, transfer points and loading points.
In both the WHO and SISIR reports, local exhaust ventilation together with the wet method were recommended as effective means of dust control in quarries.
Legislation
The Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations were enacted in 1971. Licensees of any quarry were required to install dust extraction systems, to provide dust masks and to provide quarry workers with annual chest X-ray examinations.
Silicosis was declared a compensable occupational disease under the Workmen's Compensation Act in 1972.
The Abrasive Blasting Regulations enacted in 1974 prohibited the use of sand as an abrasive for blasting. Hence there have been only very few cases of silicosis among sandblasters in Singapore.
Silicosis campaign
To focus attention on the problem and to create awareness among both workers and management, in 1973 the Ministry of Labour launched a campaign against silicosis which included a mobile exhibition and media coverage. Quarry owners were called upon to take preventive measures to protect the health of their workers.
Implementation of dust control measures
Between 1972 and 1973, the government formally requested all the then 25 granite quarries to install local dust exhaust systems (3). Despite the expected technical and financial problems, the number of quarries which installed such systems increased from 12 in 1974 to 21 in 1976. SISIR was responsible for the design of most of the dust control systems. By 1979, all granite quarries had installed dust control systems.
Dust monitoring
Regular monitoring of dust exposure is essential in order to assess occupational exposure and to evaluate the effectiveness of dust control measures. There was a significant decline in dust levels, particularly after the implementation of dust control measures in 1973 (Table 2).
Respirator usage
In a study of 201 quarry workers from five granite quarries, carried out in 1988, the prevalence of respirator usage was about 60 70% among drillers and crusher attendants, who were the more exposed group of workers (4).
Medical surveillance
Pre-employment and annual chest X-rays have been a legal requirement for granite quarry workers since 1972, and for all silica-exposed workers in factories since 1985. Chest X-ray screening is useful in the early detection of silicosis. As a result, a large number of silicosis cases were detected in 1973.
Decline of silicosis cases
There was a sharp decline in the number of new cases of silicosis after 1975, and a further decline after 1990 (Figure 1). In the 1990s, occupational asthma has replaced silicosis as the most common occupational respiratory disease (5). Only one case of silicosis was verified in 1995 and three cases in 1994. The persons concerned had previously been working in granite quarries for many years.
A radiological survey of 219 workers currently employed in six operating granite quarries, carried out in 1990, showed that the prevalence of silicosis among drilling and crushing workers was 12.5%, the prevalence among maintenance and transport workers being 0.8% (6). Among those first exposed to granite dust in 1979 or later, no cases of silicosis were detected, possibly suggesting that the reduction in dust levels achieved since 1979 has been successful in preventing silicosis among active quarry workers over the ten-year period.
Phasing out of granite quarries
In recent years, the government has stopped renewing the licenses of many quarries. The number of quarries has declined from 25 in 1970 to three in 1995.
Conclusion
Silicosis was a significant problem among granite quarry workers in Singapore during the early years of industrialisation. The government recognised the problem and sought the assistance of experts to study it and to recommend solutions. Legislation was introduced in 1972, and dust control measures were enforced. Public education was carried out at the same time. Dust levels fell significantly after 1973, and this was followed by a decline in the number of silicosis cases. Today, silicosis is no longer an important disease in Singapore.
References
1. Supramaniam JMJ, Devi S, Yeoh SA, Chew PK, Chow KW. A Radiological Survey of Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore. Proceedings of the 8th SEAMEO-Tropmed Seminar: The First Symposium on Occupational Health in South-east Asia, May 1971: 98 102.
2. Leow SB. Investigation into the Dust Emission from Granite Quarries in Singapore and Pulau Ubin. Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research, 1973.
3. Tan KT. A Review of Dust Control in Granite Quarries. Singapore Community Health Bulletin 1979;20:34 9.
4. Chia SE. A Study of the Usage of Respirators Among Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal 1989;30:269 72.
5. Lee HS, Phoon WH, Wang SYT, Tan KP. Occupational Respiratory Diseases in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal 1996;37:160 4.
6. Ng TP, Phoon WH, Lee HS, Tan KT. An Epidemiological Survey of Respiratory Morbidity Among Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore: Radiological Abnormalities. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore 1992;21:305 11.
Lee Hock Siang
Department of Industrial Health
Ministry of Labour
18 Havelock Road #05-01
Singapore 059764
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Originally posted to Pedal Ubin Mailing List, 15th March 2004
Eradication of the silicosis problem in Singapore.
By Lee Hock Siang.
Updated by PAP/SUT/TRS.
Approved by BKL. Last updated on 12 February 2001
Introduction
When Singapore launched its industrialisation programme in the 1960s, the importance of protecting workers from occupational health hazards was foreseen. The government established the Industrial Health Unit in 1970. Focusing attention on the problem of silicosis in Singapore was the new Unit. The Unit is now known as the Department of Industrial Health (DIH), Ministry of Labour.
The DIH keeps the statistics on all reported and verified occupational diseases. The Factories Act of 1970 made silicosis an industrial disease that should be reported. Silicosis was the leading occupational disease in the early 1970s, and it was the leading occupational respiratory disease in the 1970s and 1980s (Figure 1). At end of 1995, 362 cases of silicosis had been verified, 8% of which were contracted in granite quarries (Table 1).
High risk of silicosis in granite quarries in the 1970s
In 1970, there were 25 granite quarries employing about 1,200 workers. Quarry operations involve drilling, blasting and stone breaking at the quarry face; the granite rocks are then loaded and transferred to the crushing plant for crushing and screening. Dust monitoring carried out in 1968 and 1971 revealed very high dust levels.
Radiological surveys
A radiological survey of 1,188 granite quarry workers in 1965 revealed that 8% had silicosis. A follow-up survey of 1,230 quarry workers, carried out in 1971, showed that 15% had silicosis (1).
Consultation with WHO
The government took a serious view of the situation, and in 1972 a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant in industrial hygiene was engaged to study the dust control problems in granite quarries. The consultant concluded that there was a serious dust hazard in the quarries and recommended that: 1) quarry operators should be required to take action to reduce dust levels 2) each quarry should submit a plan of action 3) regulations should be developed for the control of dust in quarries 4) quarry operators should establish a dust monitoring programme.
All of these recommendations were implemented by the government.
Study on the sources and extent of dust emission
Following the WHO Study, the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) in 1972, in cooperation with the Granite Quarry Owners and Employers Association of Singapore, carried out a survey covering 21 quarries. The report published in 1973 (2) found that only one of the quarries had an effective dust control system and that 50% of the larger quarries had very high levels of dust emission. The major sources of dust emission were drilling operations, crushing units, screen units, transfer points and loading points.
In both the WHO and SISIR reports, local exhaust ventilation together with the wet method were recommended as effective means of dust control in quarries.
Legislation
The Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations were enacted in 1971. Licensees of any quarry were required to install dust extraction systems, to provide dust masks and to provide quarry workers with annual chest X-ray examinations.
Silicosis was declared a compensable occupational disease under the Workmen's Compensation Act in 1972.
The Abrasive Blasting Regulations enacted in 1974 prohibited the use of sand as an abrasive for blasting. Hence there have been only very few cases of silicosis among sandblasters in Singapore.
Silicosis campaign
To focus attention on the problem and to create awareness among both workers and management, in 1973 the Ministry of Labour launched a campaign against silicosis which included a mobile exhibition and media coverage. Quarry owners were called upon to take preventive measures to protect the health of their workers.
Implementation of dust control measures
Between 1972 and 1973, the government formally requested all the then 25 granite quarries to install local dust exhaust systems (3). Despite the expected technical and financial problems, the number of quarries which installed such systems increased from 12 in 1974 to 21 in 1976. SISIR was responsible for the design of most of the dust control systems. By 1979, all granite quarries had installed dust control systems.
Dust monitoring
Regular monitoring of dust exposure is essential in order to assess occupational exposure and to evaluate the effectiveness of dust control measures. There was a significant decline in dust levels, particularly after the implementation of dust control measures in 1973 (Table 2).
Respirator usage
In a study of 201 quarry workers from five granite quarries, carried out in 1988, the prevalence of respirator usage was about 60 70% among drillers and crusher attendants, who were the more exposed group of workers (4).
Medical surveillance
Pre-employment and annual chest X-rays have been a legal requirement for granite quarry workers since 1972, and for all silica-exposed workers in factories since 1985. Chest X-ray screening is useful in the early detection of silicosis. As a result, a large number of silicosis cases were detected in 1973.
Decline of silicosis cases
There was a sharp decline in the number of new cases of silicosis after 1975, and a further decline after 1990 (Figure 1). In the 1990s, occupational asthma has replaced silicosis as the most common occupational respiratory disease (5). Only one case of silicosis was verified in 1995 and three cases in 1994. The persons concerned had previously been working in granite quarries for many years.
A radiological survey of 219 workers currently employed in six operating granite quarries, carried out in 1990, showed that the prevalence of silicosis among drilling and crushing workers was 12.5%, the prevalence among maintenance and transport workers being 0.8% (6). Among those first exposed to granite dust in 1979 or later, no cases of silicosis were detected, possibly suggesting that the reduction in dust levels achieved since 1979 has been successful in preventing silicosis among active quarry workers over the ten-year period.
Phasing out of granite quarries
In recent years, the government has stopped renewing the licenses of many quarries. The number of quarries has declined from 25 in 1970 to three in 1995.
Conclusion
Silicosis was a significant problem among granite quarry workers in Singapore during the early years of industrialisation. The government recognised the problem and sought the assistance of experts to study it and to recommend solutions. Legislation was introduced in 1972, and dust control measures were enforced. Public education was carried out at the same time. Dust levels fell significantly after 1973, and this was followed by a decline in the number of silicosis cases. Today, silicosis is no longer an important disease in Singapore.
References
1. Supramaniam JMJ, Devi S, Yeoh SA, Chew PK, Chow KW. A Radiological Survey of Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore. Proceedings of the 8th SEAMEO-Tropmed Seminar: The First Symposium on Occupational Health in South-east Asia, May 1971: 98 102.
2. Leow SB. Investigation into the Dust Emission from Granite Quarries in Singapore and Pulau Ubin. Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research, 1973.
3. Tan KT. A Review of Dust Control in Granite Quarries. Singapore Community Health Bulletin 1979;20:34 9.
4. Chia SE. A Study of the Usage of Respirators Among Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal 1989;30:269 72.
5. Lee HS, Phoon WH, Wang SYT, Tan KP. Occupational Respiratory Diseases in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal 1996;37:160 4.
6. Ng TP, Phoon WH, Lee HS, Tan KT. An Epidemiological Survey of Respiratory Morbidity Among Granite Quarry Workers in Singapore: Radiological Abnormalities. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore 1992;21:305 11.
Lee Hock Siang
Department of Industrial Health
Ministry of Labour
18 Havelock Road #05-01
Singapore 059764
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Originally posted to Pedal Ubin Mailing List, 15th March 2004
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