NEA fined $230k In 2021 Tuas Incineration Plant Explosion
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NEA was fined $230,000 for safety lapses linked to the 2021 Tuas Incineration Plant explosion that killed two workers and injured another, after investigators found failures in its permit-to-work system and high-voltage safety procedures at the facility site.
Key Points
• NEA fined $230,000 over the 2021 Tuas plant explosion.
• Two workers died, and one suffered severe burns.
• Permit-to-work system found “defective” and improperly authorized.
• Two senior officials face Workplace Safety and Health Act charges.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has been fined $230,000 for safety lapses that led to the deadly 2021 explosion at the Tuas Incineration Plant (TIP). The blast on September 23, 2021, killed two NEA employees, Mr Kwok Yeow Wai and Mr Wee Eng Leng, and seriously injured engineer Low Yin Choon.
Following a multi-agency investigation involving the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, NEA and two senior staff members were charged with workplace safety offences in December 2023. At the time, Christopher Lee Yew Binn was the divisional director of NEA’s waste infrastructure operations and management division, and Ng Wah Yong was TIP’s general manager. Both were charged with one offence under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Lee’s case is set for a pre-trial conference on Nov 28, while Ng’s case will be mentioned on Nov 20.
On Nov 18, NEA pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to take necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of its employees. The court heard that the agency failed to ensure its permit-to-work (PTW) system for high-voltage switchgear racking complied with electrical installation regulations.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Agnes Chan said the PTW is “a formal authorization system” that allows hazards to be assessed by “suitably qualified people.” She added that investigations revealed “the engineering manager on the day was not authorized to issue a PTW to Mr Kwok,” and that “the authorized person was not informed that high-voltage electrical works would be taking place.” The PTW system was described as “defective” and lacking the essential gatekeeping function for high-risk work.
NEA also failed to implement adequate control measures and safe work procedures for switchgear racking. The court noted that teams had PPE without fire-retardant properties, despite a prior risk assessment identifying explosion and burn risks.
DPP Chan said Mr Kwok was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mr Wee died in hospital. Mr Low suffered burns over 27 per cent of his body and received 223 days of hospitalization leave.
A stop-work order issued after the incident was lifted on Nov 24, 2021.
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