SMRT Trains was fined $240,000 on May 5 after being found guilty of safety lapses that led to the death of a technical officer at Bishan Depot in 2020.
On March 23, 2020, 30-year-old Muhammad Afiq Senawi was operating a hydraulic press machine (HPM) with a colleague when a nearly 3kg spacer rod was forcefully ejected from the machine, striking him in the face. He later died from his injuries at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Investigations revealed that Mr Afiq had failed to remove an old component from the machine before inserting a new one, leading to a pressure build-up. Critically, the machine lacked a functioning pressure gauge at the time of the accident—an essential safety feature outlined in the HPM’s operation manual.
According to Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Kimberly Boo, SMRT had known the gauge was damaged as early as June 2018. While it was dismantled for calibration, it was never reinstalled, even after the machine underwent maintenance as recently as January 2020.
Prosecutors said the missing gauge meant operators had no way of knowing whether pressure levels were rising dangerously. Additionally, SMRT Trains failed to limit the machine’s pressure settings, exposing workers to unnecessary risks.
The court found that the company had not taken reasonable safety measures to protect employees, as required under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Coroner Christopher Goh earlier ruled the death as a misadventure.
The incident highlights the critical importance of proper maintenance and adherence to safety procedures in high-risk work environments.
