Pork distributor fined $15k after technician lost consciousness and died of suffocation

SINGAPORE – A company operating an abattoir was fined $15,000 on May 27 after a maintenance technician collapsed on its Buroh Lane premises, near Jurong Port Road, and died of suffocation in 2023.

Primary Industries, which is a pork distributor, was convicted of two charges linked to workplace safety and health.

Mr Hoe Chee Meng, 44, a Malaysian, died on July 19, 2023 after he entered an oxygen-deprived chamber used to “stun” pigs before slaughtering.

The pigs are lowered by a machine, called a carbon dioxide stunner, into an underground chamber that gets filled with carbon dioxide to knock them unconscious. This prevents the pigs from experiencing pain or distress during slaughter.

On July 19, 2023, a maintenance team was carrying out troubleshooting works on the stunner, which had broken down, when a metal bracket fell into the chamber. This occurred while some bearings behind a sliding door were being replaced.

At around 2pm, a maintenance worker, Mr Kathivaran Narajan, entered the chamber via a manhole, and climbed down the vertical ladder to try retrieve the bracket.

He experienced distress after around 30 seconds and was pulled out of the manhole.

The head of maintenance, Mr Martin Ng, then instructed that a temporary metal bracket be fabricated to replace the one that had fallen into the chamber.

Mr Kathivaran approached Mr Hoe to ask if he had a spare metal bracket.

Upon learning that the bracket had fallen into the chamber, Mr Hoe decided to help retrieve it.

Ministry of Manpower (MOM) prosecutor Kimberly Boo said: “At around 3.20pm, (Mr Hoe) entered the chamber... After 30 seconds, (he) tried to climb up the vertical ladder but collapsed after ascending two rungs of the ladder.

“(He) fell back into the chamber and lost consciousness.”

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was called to the scene, and officers managed to get him out.

Mr Hoe was rushed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he died shortly before 5pm that day.

Investigations later revealed that Primary Industries did not conduct a risk assessment for the troubleshooting work that involved some components beneath the manhole cover covering the chamber.

This work was performed by members of the maintenance team on at least two occasions prior to the day of the incident.

Troubleshooting work entailed opening the manhole cover to enable access to the chamber via a vertical ladder extending down the manhole.

This work activity was not found in the company’s documented risk assessment applicable at the time.

Hazards were not identified, and corresponding control measures were not established, said Ms Boo.

Primary Industries also had no proper procedure governing the opening and closing of the manhole cover.

She added: “Employees from the maintenance team were free to open the manhole cover by removing the two bolts which secured it.

“They were also free to leave the manhole cover open and unbolted as there was no control measure implemented to restrict access to the chamber.”

By leaving the manhole cover open and accessible, there was a risk of unauthorised entry into the chamber, the court heard.