Five jailed, fined for falsifying permit after fatal accident at construction site
SINGAPORE — A project director and four others were sentenced to jail and fined on Friday (5 July) under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act for falsifying a permit-to-work (PTW), following an investigation into a fatal accident in 2016 at a Tampines construction site.
Qingjian International (South Pacific) Group Development, which was contracted to provide project management services at the worksite, was also fined $205,000 for failing in its duties as an employer.
Another company, CNQC Engineering & Construction (formerly known as Qingdao Construction Singapore), has also been charged for failing in its duties as an occupier.
Construction without applying for PTW
On 25 January 2016, Wang Shiyang, a site manager employed by Qingjian instructed site supervisor Zhu Yong Bing to construct a septic tank 3.6 metres deep at the worksite.
Without applying for the necessary PTW, Zhu engaged a licensed excavator operator to excavate the area where the septic tank was to be constructed on 28 January.
The following day, with excavation works completed, Zhu tasked Xu Shangbin and five other workers to erect formwork structures and rebars inside the excavation.
Zhu also decided to start concrete casting for the septic tank later that day, and instructed Xu and two other workers to get into the excavation so they could spread the concrete once it had been poured.
An unlicensed excavator operation, Zhu nevertheless took it upon himself to operate an excavator to pour concrete into the pit. In his second attempt at pouring concrete, the excavator started to topple.
Xu, who remained inside the pit, was struck by the concrete bucket attached to the excavator’s lifting hook, and died of multiple injuries.
Falsifying PTW form
Investigations by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed that, a day after the fatal incident, Zhu and Wang signed a backdated PTW form, together with Qingdao’s WSH officer Zhu Xiaoyi, safety coordinator Rathinam Ramesh and Qingjian project director Chan Yew Cheong. This was intended to give the false impression that a PTW had been issued before excavation works were carried out.
The falsification of the PTW was uncovered following separate interviews conducted by MOM investigators with the five employees involved in the falsification.
By signing the PTW, the five employees falsely declared that necessary safety measures – such as briefing workers on safe work procedures and providing proper access to the excavation – were put in place before excavation work began.
For their respective offences, the five employees were sentenced as follows:
Chan: 10 days’ jail and $900 fine
Wang: 10 days’ jail and $7,500 fine
Zhu Xiaoyi: 1 week’s jail
Rathinam Ramesh: 1 week’s jail
Zhu Yong Bing: 3 months’ jail
In addition, MOM will be revoking Zhu Xiaoyi’s WSH Officer registration.
Sebastian Tan, MOM’s director of occupational safety and health inspectorate, said, “As key members managing the project and overseeing the construction works at the worksite, the five employees were responsible for ensuring that necessary safety measures were implemented before carrying out the excavation works.
“Not only did they fail to do so, they also wilfully misled MOM’s investigation by submitting a falsified Permit to Work form.
“The MOM takes a serious view of those who attempt to impede investigations and will press for custodial sentences against them.”
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