1 dead in workplace accident after fire involving gas cylinders breaks out at Tuas building

SINGAPORE — A 38-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene of a workplace accident on Friday (Dec 30) morning after a fire involving gas cylinders broke out at a building in Tuas.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the blaze at 21 Tuas Avenue 3 at about 9.05am. 

Gas cylinders were part of the fire, which was extinguished with one water jet, SCDF said, adding that about 40 people had evacuated before firefighters arrived. 

The police said that they were alerted to the workplace accident at about 9am. The 38-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic and a 43-year-old man was conscious when taken to Singapore General Hospital. 

Investigations are ongoing. 

CNA has contacted the Ministry of Manpower for more information.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday, a 31-year-old man died after an accident occurred at his workplace along Rifle Range Road. 

He was struck and pinned by a machine that toppled while it was being transferred by a forklift. A 62-year-old man was later arrested for causing death by negligent act. 

The Ministry of Manpower had earlier called for a six-month period of heightened safety from Sept 1, 2022 to Feb 28, 2023 in response to a higher rate of workplace fatalities.

It announced in September that companies in higher-risk sectors were required to conduct a mandatory safety time-out to review safety procedures, as part of the measures introduced under the heightened safety period. CNA

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