Manpower Minister Josephine Teo will appoint an Inquiry Committee under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act to look into the explosion that occurred at Tuas on Feb. 24, 2021, the first such appointment since the Nicoll Highway collapse in 2004.

The incident which occurred at an industrial complex — said to involve a combustible dust explosion — resulted in the deaths of three workers so far, with another five still in critical condition.

The Inquiry Committee is expected to carry out a thorough study into the factors that led to the fire and explosion, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement on Feb. 27.

It will also make recommendations including policy, regulatory or WSH measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

The Inquiry Committee will be led by a district judge with two technical assessors, and its proceedings will be held in open court.

MOM said that since the 2004 inquiry, it has "worked closely with industry stakeholders to significantly improve workplace safety and health in Singapore".

Singapore’s fatal injury rate at workplaces reduced from 4.9 per 100,000 workers in 2004, to 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2019, the ministry added.

One of the most serious incidents in recent years

Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Zaqy Mohamad, said in a Facebook post that the incident was "one of the most serious workplace incidents in Singapore in recent years".

"We cannot afford to let down our guard, because every life lost is a breadwinner and a loved one lost," he wrote, and urged industry stakeholders "to continue to pay close attention to workplace safety".

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Top photo via MWC on Facebook