SINGAPORE — For more than a decade, SMRT Trains had failed to comply with approved operating procedures meant to protect the safety of its workers, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (Feb 28).

These instances of non-compliance, dating as far back as 2002, came to light after the ministry began investigating the train operator last year, following an accident that killed two of its trainees on the train tracks near Pasir Ris MRT Station. 

SMRT was on Tuesday fined a record S$400,000 after it pleaded guilty over safety violations that led to the two workers’ deaths. 

In a statement issued after the sentencing, the MOM said the previous cases of non-compliance were “neither documented nor properly authorised”. 

“SMRT has failed to ensure that procedures practised by employees on the ground were duly audited, documented and disseminated. This resulted in an unsafe workplace that eventually led to the death of two of its employees,” said the MOM. “The stiff sentence imposed serves as a deterrence against companies that do not exercise sufficient diligence in implementing a workplace safety and health management system.” 

Mr Chan Yew Kwong, director of MOM’s Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, added: “Companies need to manage workplace safety and health risks in order to protect their employees. Many workplace injuries and fatalities can be traced to organisational and system failures in the overall management of workplace safety.”

On whether it had detected  previous cases of non-compliance by SMRT, the Land Transport Authority said it was unable to comment further at this stage as there are still cases before the court. It will release its findings at an “appropriate juncture”, said a spokesperson.  

The National Transport Workers’ Union said it hopes SMRT will “take a serious view on workplace safety issues”.

As for the director and a former assistant engineer of SMRT who were also charged in relation to the incident, the union urged for all to “withhold judgement and allow due process to take its course”, as their cases are still before the court.