SINGAPORE – A new risk committee was formed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to oversee workplace safety as part of tightened measures in the wake of a fatal Tuas Incineration Plant explosion in 2021.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu recounted the accident in Parliament on Jan 9, telling about how three NEA officers were sent to an electrical switch room on Sept 23, 2021, to troubleshoot a fault after the plant’s control room was unable to remotely switch off an industrial fan.
A localised explosion took place near the switchgear, causing the deaths of two officers – Mr Kwok Yeow Wai and Mr Wee Eng Leng.
A third officer, Mr Low Yin Choon, who suffered third-degree burns, has since recovered and returned to work.
All three were the “most senior officers” in NEA’s Electrical Maintenance Branch, said Ms Fu.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) charged NEA and two of its employees under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for their involvement in the accident.
NEA is said to have failed to take measures to ensure the safety and health of its employees, such as ensuring that the permit-to-work system implemented for high-voltage switchgear racking works complied with prevailing regulations, according to the AGC and MOM.
The incineration plant’s general manager, Ng Wah Yong, and an employee, Christopher Lee Yew Binn, have been redeployed to non-operational roles after they were charged, pending the outcome of the proceedings.
Culpable parties will be taken to task under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, MOM said, where the maximum financial penalty for an organisation and for an individual is a fine of up to $500,000 and $200,000, respectively. An individual can also be imprisoned for up to two years, in addition to any fine.
MOM added that these penalties are reviewed regularly and apply equally to both the public and private sectors.
Ms Fu said she was unable to share more details of the incident in order not to prejudice ongoing judicial proceedings.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, NEA implemented measures to ensure safety at both its incineration plants – the Tuas incineration plant where the incident occurred, and the Tuas South Incineration Plant.
It also conducted its own investigations, Ms Fu added.
These included comprehensive checks on machinery and a review of all safety procedures at the plant by NEA engineering officers and an external licensed electrical engineer.
“NEA did likewise at the Tuas South Incineration Plant... and notified private operators of incineration plants about the incident and requested them to review their safety procedures and equipment. The private operators acknowledged the requests,” said Ms Fu.
Tuas Incineration Plant was decommissioned as planned in July 2022 after 36 years of operation, and was replaced by the new TuasOne Waste-To-Energy Plant, which began operations in December 2021 to cater to Singapore’s growing waste treatment needs.
It is operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Other incineration plants here that are operated privately are the Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-To-Energy Plant and the Senoko Waste-To-Energy Plant.
Aside from fully cooperating with investigations conducted by MOM, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and other agencies, NEA convened its own internal investigation panel to ascertain the events that led to the incident, identify possible causes and recommend additional measures to prevent a similar recurrence, said Ms Fu.
The panel’s findings and recommendations were shared with the NEA board and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, as well as investigators from MOM.
While Ms Fu said she was unable to provide specific details on the recommendations due to ongoing court proceedings, measures are being suggested to strengthen the plant’s work system and processes involving high-voltage works.
NEA has also strengthened workplace safety and health measures, drawing from guidelines and best practices issued by the Workplace Safety and Health Council, said Ms Fu.
For instance, the NEA board was restructured to include a dedicated risk committee to oversee and manage key enterprise risks, including workplace safety.
It is also conducting an operational review of its waste management facilities, which include not just the Tuas South Incineration Plant, but also other facilities such as Semakau Landfill.
In addition, it has appointed an external advisory panel, comprising senior industry leaders who have experience managing large facilities and operations, to strengthen operations and safety at its waste management facilities.
