High and dry: Singapore crane operator shows how he cooks, poops and lives in a tower crane

Photo: TikTok/@sgtowercrane
Photo: TikTok/@sgtowercrane

What’s taller than the skyscrapers in the Singapore CBD? The machines that help build ‘em!

TikTok account @sgtowercrane is exactly what the username is – it’s all things tower cranes. You’ll find a whole lot of videos on views of the city from high above, and also some other interesting content. 

This includes cooking videos, videos on how to get food ‘delivered’ to the cabin – and even one on how he poops and takes a piss from above.

He packs his ingredients neatly from home and cooks in a small electric pot he brings up with him. The ASMR-like videos of him making kampung fried rice, black pepper udon stir-fry and his own take on elevated mee goreng are almost therapeutic to watch. 

@sgtowercrane Nasi goreng kampung (Spicy Kampong Fried Rice) in Tower Crane. #cranelife #nasigoreng ♬ original sound  – The Heavy Lifter🪝

He has some cheat days as well where he orders food – and uses an industrial pulley to bring the food up to him. 

‘Dede’ who runs the account mentions that it takes about 20 minutes to go up and down from the cabin to the ground – and is quite an arduous trek on a seemingly endless stepladder

The most popular comment on his stories is of course, the age-old important question: how do you poop and pee?

He replies to this in a pretty good-natured way with an informative video. Quick answer, he uses a bucket and wet wipes – and also mentions that taking a poop from such great heights is pretty great. 

@sgtowercrane

This is how I pee or poop in tower crane. These are the two videos from my earlier post. I have merged it. 🤣 The nearest toilet is at the ground floor. I use an empty bottle to pee in it and discard it after I end my shift.  FYI, I don't usually poop in the cabin. But I do standby a bucket, just in case of emergency.  So here you go! 🤣👍

♬ original sound  – The Heavy Lifter🪝

He also adds that he tries to watch what he eats to actually avoid pooping in the workplace. 

Though Dede’s workday may seem chill from the videos, he reveals that there are long days – and nights – of work too. With the heavy rains and winds, 180m above ground is not an ideal place to be but bless Dede for taking us on the ride (and also into the sunset). 

Also check out these other stories:



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on