Construction firm Fusion Builders and director fined for safety lapses resulting in worker's death

SINGAPORE — Construction firm Fusion Builders and its director, Ng Chin Sang, have been fined S$250,000 and S$60,000 respectively for workplace safety lapses that resulted in the death of a worker in 2017.

In a statement on Thursday (Oct 6), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the company and Ng, 72, were fined on Oct 4 after pleading guilty to offences under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for not taking reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of workers.

Kaliyaperumal Manikandan was working at a height of about 7.7m on the platform of an extended scissor lift at the third floor of a building on June 6, 2017, when the scissor lift collided with an overhead travelling crane transporting rubbish bags to the first floor for disposal.

The collision caused the platform to topple towards the floor, with Kaliyaperumal falling off the platform, through an empty space on the third floor, and landing on the first floor of the building.

He died at the scene from his injuries.

MOM said that its investigations had found several safety lapses by Fusion Builders that resulted in the fatal accident.

The lapses are:

• Failure to ensure that only trained workers could operate the overhead travelling crane and the scissor lift
• Failure to prevent incompatible works involving the concurrent use of an overhead travelling crane and scissor lift from being carried out
• Failure to implement measures to warn workers working on the scissor lift of the approach of the overhead travelling crane

The investigations also found that Ng was aware of the lapses but did not take any action to rectify them.

“This death was entirely preventable, if not for the negligence of Fusion and Ng,” said Mr Sebastian Tan, MOM’s director of Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, adding that the firm’s multiple safety breaches had showed a lack of emphasis on workers’ safety.

“All stakeholders must make workplace safety and health a priority,” he added.