Excavator mishap raises questions over special-needs workers’ safety: Coroner

SINGAPORE — A coroner’s inquiry into the death of a gardener after he was hit by an excavator began yesterday, during which the State Coroner raised questions as to whether there were safeguards to identify vulnerabilities arising from the “peculiar” behaviours of individuals with special needs.

Yesterday, the coroner’s court heard that Lee Wei Kee, who was diagnosed with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder and mild intellectual disability, was killed on July 30 last year by an excavator clearing horticultural waste at the Prince’s Landscape and Construction worksite along Sungei Tengah Road.

Lee, then 29, was employed by the company as a landscape technician and handled tasks such as trimming leaves, sweeping the floor and watering plants.

He underwent vocational and social training at the Association for Persons with Special Needs’ (APSN) Centre for Adults after graduation.

The company has been hiring workers from the APSN for eight years. Police investigations revealed that prior to the accident, some workers had informed their supervisors that Lee would come very close to heavy machinery, such as excavators and wheel loaders, when they were turned on.

An investigation report showed that at about 1.15pm on July 30, construction worker Babul Salam Akondo had walked past Lee on his way to the excavator. Babul did not see anyone in the immediate vicinity when he boarded the excavator and started working on it.

Later, the machine became stuck. While repositioning it and moving it forward, he heard someone shouting for help. He dismounted and saw Lee lying behind the excavator in a pool of blood. Lee was later pronounced dead in hospital.

A police investigation concluded that Mr Babul had not acted recklessly or contravened any safety regulations. Misadventure on Lee’s part, testified investigation officer ASP Brandon Leong, was a probable cause of the incident.

State Coroner Marvin Bay questioned if safeguards were in place to monitor the progress of employees with special needs in the company. “(Was there an) ability to identify vulnerabilities that may arise from a person’s peculiar characteristics … and ways to refine (this) process?” he asked. The inquiry continues next Thursday. KELLY NG