Coroner rules death of Keppel Shipyard worker a tragic industrial misadventure, reports the Strait Times.
Keppel worker impaled by rudder
A Keppel Shipyard worker died from multiple injuries in March last year after being struck by a falling rudder as he was fitting it on an oil tanker.
A coroner’s inquiry heard that the 59-tonne rudder had become dislodged after the shackle, which connects the rudder to the ship and has a capacity of 35 tonnes, fractured from overload.
Mr Mandeep Kumar, 36, was carrying out repair works on the tanker, City Of Shanghai, at Keppel Shipyard when the rudder became dislodged and hit him, knocking him off balance. He clung on to part of the ship, 7.3m above ground, but fell off when the falling rudder crashed into him and severed his right arm.
The impact sent the Indian national into cardiac arrest and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Another worker, Mr Miah Md Masum, was also hit by the rudder but did not suffer serious injuries.
Accuracy checks not done
The Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) investigations found that senior foreman Inbaraj Vellu had forgot to factor in the weight of the extra components that had to be attached to the rudder, which he calculated to weigh 32 tonnes. No checks were done to ensure the accuracy of Mr. Inbaraj’s calculations.
Keppel Shipyard found that Mr Mandeep should not have been standing on part of the rudder while working.
He should have operated from the scaffolding erected beside the rudder or from a hydraulic crane, a Keppel investigator said. He also did not secure his safety belt to an anchor point.
Tragical misadventure
Last Friday, State Coroner Marvin Bay ruled Mr Mandeep’s death to be a “tragic industrial misadventure.”
The coroner said the incident underscores “the need for stakeholders in heavy industries to understand and prepare for the risks inherent to their industries.”
“These would include undertaking appropriate risk assessments and verifying the safety and fitness for use of all equipment. The assessments should also ensure that workers are not placed in positions where they would be vulnerable to injury in the event of any machinery or component failure,” he added.
- Social enterprise ItsRainingRaincoats, which focuses on migrant worker issues, said in a Facebook post in March last year that Mr Mandeep had worked in Singapore for 12 years and was a father of two young children.
- MOM is contemplating taking enforcement actions against the parties involved under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
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Source: The Strait Times
