SINGAPORE: Five years after an explosion at a Tuas industrial plant killed three workers and injured seven others, a company director has been sentenced to jail and the firm fined for workplace safety lapses.
Chua Xing Da, a 42-year-old Singaporean, had operated a heated mixing machine from China based on incorrect assumptions he came up with himself instead of getting guidance from the manufacturer.
As a result of the unsafe use of the machine, including not using enough heating oil and operating the mixer as a closed rather than open system, an explosion at the industrial building at 32E Tuas Avenue 11 on Feb 24, 2021, killed three workers who suffered 90 per cent burns.
They are: 38-year-old Indian national Mr Subbaiyan Marimuthu and Mr Anisuzzaman Md, 29, and Mr Shohel Md, 23, who were from Bangladesh.
Seven others, including five workers from Stars Engrg and two from a neighbouring unit, suffered serious burn injuries.
Chua was sentenced to jail for 18 months and one week on Thursday (Jun 25). He was convicted of two counts of workplace safety lapses and one count of obstructing justice by telling his employee it was “ok” to delete texts about an unsafe work practice.
The company that operated the industrial plant installing fire protection systems, Stars Engrg, was given a fine of half a million dollars.
Production manager Lwin Moe Tun, a 36-year-old Myanmar national, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail for obstructing justice by deleting messages and photos. He was cleared of a third charge for workplace safety lapses.
The case had gone to trial, with Chua’s lawyer saying this was not for lack of remorse but to tell the court what he did or did not do.
District Judge Tan Jen Tse accepted that the company and Chua had taken many steps towards ensuring general safety standards, such as sending workers for training, issuing personal protective equipment and keeping factory premises clean.
However, he noted that Chua was personally involved in setting up the mixer and teaching workers how to operate and maintain it. He attempted to find solutions when issues arose, and he was the only one who could authorise repairs on the mixer.
The company had purchased the mixer from a manufacturer in China called LaiZhou Keda Chemical Machinery Co for US$11,700 around August 2019.
Judge Tan said the mixer was a fairly simple machine from a reputable manufacturer, and that it was incumbent on Stars and Chua to use it properly and safely.
Read Full Article At Source
