Professional engineer Ying Kee Yeow was fined $4,000 on Tuesday for failing to supervise water service installation works at an industrial building in Senang Crescent.

National water agency PUB said in a release yesterday that a site investigation at Bizhub in Senang Crescent on Dec 15 last year revealed that sanitary pipes were installed above the low-level water tank in the basement. Required sampling taps were also not installed.

Both are infringements of the code of practices for water services.

Installing non-potable water pipes above potable water pipes or water tanks compromises the safety of drinking water and can lead to contamination, PUB said. Failing to supervise proper installation is a serious offence.

For the offence, Ying could have been fined $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months or both.

It is his fourth offence, PUB said.

On April 26, he was fined $2,000 for a similar offence at a dormitory in Lorong Lada Hitam.

In November last year, he was given a stern warning for failing to comply with water tank security requirements for a residential development. However, he committed a similar offence in January by failing to install stainless steel brackets for the covers of low-level tanks, and sampling taps for the tanks at another residential development.

He was issued with a notice of offence by PUB and offered to compound the offence for a composition sum of $500.

The licensed plumber who carried out the works in Senang Crescent was suspended for six months.