Jurong Shipyard fined $230,000 over safety lapses that led to worker’s death

SINGAPORE – Jurong Shipyard has been fined $230,000 for a fatal accident in 2015 which saw a worker struck and caught between a gantry crane and a manifold.

The victim, Mr Stephen Yeo Chye Mong, was employed as a safety coordinator and patrol man by the shipyard’s subcontractor.

The shipyard was convicted of failing to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety of workers at its 5 Jalan Samulun site, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) informed.

The victim, Mr Stephen Yeo Chye Mong, was employed as a safety coordinator and patrol man by the shipyard’s subcontractor.

On March 20, 2015, he was conducting safety checks near the manifolds along the track of a gantry crane, which was in operation. A manifold refers to a pipe that has several openings.

At the time, he was lifting pieces of rolled up welding cables.

Shortly after, a co-worker found him lying on the ground between a utility water supply manifold and the gantry crane track.

He was taken to hospital, where he died on the same day.

Investigations by MOM found that there were systemic failures in the way Jurong Shipyard performed lifting operations using the gantry crane.

“These failures made the workplace dangerous, and also resulted in the accident,” MOM said in its statement.

These include:

• Failing to appoint a banksman to ensure that nobody was in the travelling path of the gantry crane while it is in operation;
• Failing to ensure that there were sufficient visual warning signs to inform workers, apart from members of the lifting team, to keep out of the lifting zone while such operations were in progress;
• Failing to ensure that there was sufficient passageway clearance between the gantry crane track and the utility water supply manifold.

MOM found the clearance distance to be only 430mm, which was less than the 750mm recommended.

It added that the the measured distance was, in fact, only 80mm when the leg of the gantry crane moved past the utility water supply manifold along its track.

MOM’s occupational safety and health inspectorate, noted that there were several safety lapses in the case.

Courtesy of: ST

Do you know that??? Work injuries and illnesses can affect every aspect of your life. Sometimes owner or manager may not show an interest in preventing employee injury and illness, But it’s your responsibility to take care of yourself for your family.

Learning and practicing Safety is the only way to keep you and your family safe. Download Eversafe APP to learn SAFETY. We provide E-LIBRARY for you to get free SAFETY course materials. Do you know that??? Work injuries and illnesses can affect every aspect of your life and your families.