Two workers who entered manhole on ship died of oxygen deficiency, court told
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Two Bangladeshi workers who entered a manhole on board a dredging vessel last year died due to oxygen deficiency, an investigation officer (IO) from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in court yesterday.
IO Tan Soon Heng was testifying on the first day of a coroner's inquiry into the circumstances that led to the deaths of Mr Forhad, who went by only one name, and Mr Kolil Ibrahim, who died on May 19 last year.
MOM told The Straits Times last year that the incident occurred in the eastern waters of Singapore. The two men - aged 31 and 37 - were employed by KSE Marine Works. The deck-level manhole led to the vessel's ballast tank.
The court heard that Mr Forhad, a supervisor, had gone into the manhole to check on a hydraulic pipe that had a suspected leakage.
Investigations revealed he had been asked to check on the pipes and entered the manhole despite not being given specific instructions to do so, police IO Muhammad Ruzaini Osman told the court.
Another worker on the ship saw the manhole open and entered it to find Mr Forhad unconscious.
The second worker, then aged 39, also passed out.
Mr Kolil went into the manhole, found the second man unconscious and asked the other crew members to bring a ventilation fan. He too then lost consciousness.
The second man managed to regain consciousness and climb out after the crew forced ventilation into the tank.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who had been called, arrived on board the vessel and extricated Mr Forhad and Mr Kolil, but pronounced them dead.
SCDF officers tested the oxygen level in the tank and detected it to be at 18.5 per cent. IO Ruzaini said humans require an oxygen level of 19.5 per cent to operate normally and that anything below that was quite dangerous.
IO Tan said that investigations showed the two men were unlikely to be fatigued and that their deaths were due to oxygen deficiency.
When asked if MOM has decided if it will be taking action against any parties involved, IO Tan said the ministry is contemplating doing so.
