Following the explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant in 2021, which killed two National Environment Agency (NEA) officers, NEA has strengthened its workplace safety practices in its waste management facilities and across the entire organisation.

"[The incident] was a painful chapter for the NEA and MSE family," Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said in parliament on Jan. 9, 2024. "NEA has implemented measures to prevent similar incidents from taking place."

NEA provided support to the affected families

Fu gave a ministerial statement on Jan. 9 addressing the Tuas Incineration Plant explosion.

As the case was before the courts, she was unable to share certain details to not affect court proceedings.

She reiterated the background to the incident, most of it made available to the public previously, and measures that have since been put in place to ensure better workplace safety.

On Sep. 23, 2021, Kwok Yeow Wai, Wee Eng Leng and Low Yin Choon were in an electrical switch room of the incineration plant when an explosion happened.

The trio were NEA officers sent down to troubleshoot a fault.

Kwok and Wee died from the accident, while Low survived with third-degree burns and has since returned to work.

Fu added that NEA provided support to the surviving officer and families of the deceased officers, including helping them with medical expenses and providing compensation.

She said that NEA continues to be in contact with the families of the deceased officers.

Incineration plant replaced after 36 years of service

After the accident, the Tuas Incineration Plant stopped receiving waste for incineration and was shut down immediately.

NEA was issued a Stop Work Order (SWO) by MOM to cease any processes involving electrical servicing and maintenance.

During this period, Fu added, NEA engineering officers carried out comprehensive checks on machinery and safety procedures at the plant, and external licensed engineers did extensive checks and tests.

Tuas Incineration Plant resumed partial operations with MOM's clearance on Oct. 13, 2021.

MOM released the plant from its SWO about two months after the accident on Nov. 24, 2021.

The incineration plant stopped operations in February 2022 after 36 years of service and decommissioned in July 2022 as part of development plans to replace it with TuasOne Waste-To-Energy Plant.

Investigations into accident

Fu added that NEA had launched its own internal investigations into the matter on top of the independent investigations carried out by MOM and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

NEA also engaged an external technical expert to independently review the affected equipment and advise on the likely cause of the explosion.

On Dec. 26, 2023, NEA was charged as a corporate body for failing to take measures necessary to ensure the safety and health of its employees at work.

Two senior NEA officers, Ng Wah Yong and Christopher Lee Yew Binn, were charged with negligently endangering the safety of others at the plant without reasonable cause.

Fu said that they have been redeployed to non-operational roles.

Measures taken to improve workplace safety

In response to questions by Members of Parliament (MPs) Melvin Yong Yik Chye and Poh Li San, which inquired how NEA strengthened its workplace safety practices and culture and what measures have been implemented to prevent such accidents from recurring.

NEA made recommendations to improve the work systems and processes involving high-voltage works, Fu said.

While she could not detail the recommendations due to the ongoing court proceedings, she said NEA accepted them and have been implemented at Tuas South Incineration Plant.

NEA is also undertaking an operational review of all its waste management facilities, including Tuas Incineration Plant and Semakau Landfill, which saw the agency appointing an external advisory panel comprising senior industry leaders with experience in the field.

At the organisational level, NEA took its week-long safety timeout imposed by the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH Council) to reassess its workplace safety practices.

Senior management also conducted additional safety walkabouts, discussing ways to achieve a safer work environment with officers.

Fu also said that the NEA board has created a dedicated committee to oversee and manage key enterprise risks, prioritising workplace safety.

As for the court's decision on the aforementioned charges, MSE will work with NEA to determine how it should reflect on matters such as performance assessment, remuneration, and disciplinary action.

Workplace safety is part of 'KPI'

Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru raised concerns about how the government would ensure that the public officers in charge of workplace safety were doing their job well and whether or not there was an "element of their compensation" tied to "safety KPIs".

Fu said that workplace safety and health is one of the key corporate KPIs of NEA and is taken into consideration for performance assessment and bonuses.

She added that NEA has a dedicated workplace safety and health team to strengthen workplace safety culture, as well as committees and appointment holders that oversee and manage workplace safety and health risks in the organisation.

Top image via MCI & SCDF/Facebook