SINGAPORE — A 38-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene of a workplace accident on Friday (30 Dec) morning after a fire involving gas cylinders broke out at a building in Tuas.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told media that they were alerted to the blaze at 21 Tuas Avenue 3 at about 9.05am.
According to online records, the address is occupied by Asia Technical Gas Co. Ltd which manufactures and supply industrial and compressed gases.
SCDF also shared that the fire involved gas cylinders and was extinguished with one water jet and about 40 people had evacuated prior to their arrival.
The police said they were alerted to the workplace accident at about 9 am. The 38-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic, while a 43-year-old man was conscious when taken to Singapore General Hospital.
SCDF and police investigations are ongoing.
The incident comes after the death of a 31-year-old Singaporean worker on Tuesday (27 Dec) morning after he was struck and pinned down by a machine that toppled on him.
Upon receiving an emergency call at 8.05 am that morning, The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rushed to the scene and took the unconscious man to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
The Singaporean was employed by RCM Resources, a labour supply firm, and was later pronounced dead.
A 62-year-old forklift operator, suspected of causing death by a negligent act, has been arrested by the police. Police investigations are ongoing.
The death of the 38-year old worker marks the 46th workplace fatal incident in 2022, exceeding the 37 deaths in the whole of 2021.
It is also the highest number since 2016, which recorded 66 workplace fatalities. There were 30 workplace deaths in 2020 and 39 in 2019.
Four fatal workplace incidents were recorded within this month, including a Bangladeshi worker who died while hoisting a tree trunk earlier this month, and a 32-year-old Indian national who died after being crushed by a crane at a construction site at Tengah.
The Manpower Ministry had earlier called for a six-month period of heightened safety from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2023 in response to a higher rate of workplace fatalities.
It announced in September that companies in higher-risk sectors were required to conduct a mandatory safety time-out to review safety procedures, as part of the measures introduced under the heightened safety period.
