Hai Leck Engineering & Construction was fined S$200,000 on Jul. 10, 2023, for failing to ensure the safety of their employees at work, resulting in the death of a 39-year-old employee.

On Oct. 11, 2020, Muniyan Murugan, a lifting supervisor working for Hai Leck Engineering & Construction, died during a workplace accident when a steel frame toppled over and struck him.

According to court documents, Murugan and three other workers had been tasked with moving heavy steel materials from their workplace to a process plant in Tuas.

This included five steel frames shaped like the letter ‘n’, each 6.47m long, 1.35m tall, and weighing approximately 560kg.

The men decided to load these steel frames upright onto a lorry bed so they could transport them in one go, using three lashing belts to keep them secure.

However, after the lorry made a right turn, one of the men noticed that a steel frame on the passenger’s side of the lorry had tilted outwards.

They stopped the lorry, and the workers discussed adjusting the tilted frame.

Murugan suggested using a forklift to support the tilted frame. They would then release the lashing belts, after which the forklift operator could bring the tilted frame back down.

The other workers agreed with Murugan’s suggestion.

Steel frame on the other side toppled over

However, while Murugan and another worker were releasing the lashing belts on the other side of the lorry, the outermost steel frame toppled over.

The other worker jumped away in time, but Murugan was struck by the falling frame, which weighed around 560kg.

Murugan died from “severe head, spinal, rib, heart, lung, and liver injuries.”

Company “failed in its duty as an employer”

Court documents stated that the company had failed to ensure the safety of its workers.

Among the safety lapses mentioned by the prosecution, they pointed out that according to Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines for Safe Loading on Vehicles, three lashing belts were inadequate to secure the five steel frames on the lorry bed.

The prosecution also mentioned that the lorry was ineffective in supporting the steel frames, given that its sideboards were only 0.3m high and each frame was 1.35m tall.

In addition, while the company had a purported requirement of using a trailer to transport materials longer than 6m, this requirement was not documented in writing nor enforced.

These failures, the prosecution said, among others, caused Murugan’s death.

Top photo from Shinmin Daily News and Google Maps