SINGAPORE - Two men died after a failed attempt to rescue a supervisor who collapsed during the inspection of a ship's tank last Wednesday (May 19).
The supervisor had entered the ballast tank of a dredging vessel without wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) or checking whether it was safe.
Some time after he collapsed, a second worker went into the tank to rescue him, but he also passed out, said the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council in a bulletin on Monday (May 24).
A third worker who attempted to help the unconscious duo also collapsed inside the tank.
Subsequently, the rest of the crew forced ventilation into the tank. The second worker managed to climb out of the tank after regaining consciousness.
The WSH Council said: "The supervisor and the third worker were later extricated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force but unfortunately did not survive."
The council, a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), said the incident highlights the invisible dangers of confined spaces.
It did not name the firm or the casualties, or say whether the company is under investigation or a stop work order was issued.
The WSH Council reminded workers to not open manholes of confined spaces without proper authorisation and to avoid attempting a rescue without proper PPE. Employees should also avoid entering confined spaces if untrained to do so.
It urged employers to stick to life-saving requirements in the WSH (Confined Spaces) Regulations.
This includes having at least one worker inside the confined space equipped with a portable gas monitor to continuously observe the level of oxygen or other harmful gases and to ensure sufficient ventilation of the confined space.
The latest workplace fatalities come after over 3,200 workplace safety and health breaches were found during inspections between January and April, in part due to stepped-up enforcement efforts this year.
This is almost double of the 1,800 contraventions last year.
There were also 14 workplace deaths between January and April, which is the same number as the same period last year.
These figures do not account for passengers who were injured or killed in road accidents while travelling to and from work.
In April, two workers were killed while travelling in the back of a lorry on the way to a work site.
Injuries in the first quarter of this year are also higher than the same period last year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit Singapore.
The first quarter this year recorded 155 major injuries and 3,095 minor injuries, compared with 126 major injuries and 2,993 minor injuries in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Contractors Association Limited and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation told The Straits Times that pressure to complete delayed projects may increase the risk of workplace accidents and injuries.
ST has approached MOM with further queries.
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