Two firms ordered to stop work and fined over safety breaches

SINGAPORE – A tile distributor and a waste recycling firm were ordered to stop work and fined after multiple safety breaches were found on their premises.

The tile company, Soon Bee Huat Trading, was fined $15,000, and recycling firm DA Engineering was fined $8,000, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a Facebook post on Monday.

The breaches included unauthorised personnel operating heavy machinery, unguarded machines, overloaded storage racks and lack of proper housekeeping, said MOM.

The two cases are the latest in a string of enforcement operations publicised by MOM amid a six-month heightened safety period aimed at stemming a spike in workplace deaths.

The number of workplace deaths in 2022 is currently 38, with the latest occurring on Oct 5, when a 69-year-old cleaner in Hougang died after being hit by a reversing lorry.

The 2022 figure has already exceeded the total tally of 37 for the whole of 2021.

At Soon Bee Huat Trading, an inspection on June 23 found a worker who was not authorised to operate a forklift doing so without wearing a seatbelt or safety shoes.

Forklifts can be operated only by someone with a licence and proper training, said MOM.

The operator should also attend refresher training once every three years to keep abreast of safety requirements and operational knowledge, MOM added.

Goods at the firm were found to be stored on self-fabricated storage racks, beyond the racks’ load capacity.

Storing goods beyond the load capacity of storage racks could result in the racks collapsing and injuring workers, said MOM.

MOM added that the racks were rusty and in poor condition.

It said storage racks must be properly maintained to prevent the load capacity from being compromised.

Wooden crates were stacked such that they were at risk of toppling and other items were stored in a haphazard manner that could cause obstructions, said MOM.