Jan 25, 2011
Engineering firm fined $100K for fatal fire
By Khushwant Singh
On May 3, 2007, fire incident at Exxonmobil Refinery at Pulau Ayer Chawan on Jurong Island. -- PHOTO: SCDF
MUN Siong Engineering was fined $100,000 on Tuesday for failing to ensure the safety of three workers who died from injuries sustained in a fire at the ExxonMobil oil refinery on Jurong Island in 2007. The maximum fine for this offence is $500,000.
A district court heard that Mun Siong was the resident contractor to maintain and repair equipment at the refinery. On May 3, 2007, five of its workers had removed a steel plate between two heat exchangers when a liquid containing the flammable naphtha spilled out.
They did not have the proper drip pan to collect the spill so they used water to flush it away. Ten minutes later, a fire broke out. Civil Defence and ExxonMobil firefighters took an hour to put out the blaze.
Singaporeans Tan Kong Lam, 56, and Ng Swee Min, 47, both working as a pipe fitter, were found dead at the scene. Mr Prabir Braja, 25, a Bangladeshi, who was among the three maintenance workers that managed to run away, suffered 70 per cent burns and died two days later on May 5.
Another suffered 15 per cent burns. He recovered while a fifth was unhurt. Arguing for a light fine, lawyer Tan Liam Beng said that the court should note Mun Siong's impeccable safety record for more than 40 years. The 2007 accident was its only safety violation and a total of $332,560 in insurance had been paid to the grieving families, he added.
On Jan 20, five employees of ExxonMobil were charged for breaching workplace safety laws in relation to the fire. Two workers of Mun Siong were also charged with the same violation.
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