\n<\/p>\n
Mr Rahman first came to Singapore in 2015, after spending about S$16,000 on fees to secure work at a landscaping company.<\/span><\/p>\n In July 2016, then 21, he was instructed to clean an underground water tank near Sungei Tengah after a day of pruning trees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mr Rahman said he initially refused, but relented after his supervisor threatened to report him to his boss, who could send him home.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, he was in debt and earning a basic monthly salary of S$540.<\/p>\n \u201cI was afraid,\u201d Mr Rahman said. \u201cHowever hard the work is, even if I wanted to rest, I could not, because I had to keep the job.\u201d<\/p>\n When he switched on a light in the tank, an explosion ripped through it. He spent three months in a coma and six months in hospital undergoing treatment, including skin grafts and reconstructive procedures.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that his employer had not conducted a risk assessment or put in place safe work procedures for cleaning the tank. Workers were also not adequately trained or informed about the risks of working in a confined space.<\/span><\/p>\n