Waste disposal facility ordered to stop work due to multiple safety lapses
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – A stop-work order was issued to Leading Bio-Energy on Thursday, after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) uncovered multiple safety lapses during an inspection of a waste disposal facility belonging to the company.
Waste materials were found stacked against damaged structural columns in the facility, MOM said on its Facebook page. This could result in the collapse of the facility.
Other safety lapses include the lack of traffic management to prevent vehicle collisions, poor maintenance of the building’s infrastructure, poor housekeeping and an improper method of propping up a forklift under repair.
Leading Bio-Energy has to cease all work activities and rectify unsafe work conditions immediately as the lapses pose an immediate threat to workers’ safety, MOM said.
The company was also fined $10,000 for the safety lapses.
Mr Sebastian Tan, director of MOM’s occupational safety and health inspectorate, said: “Safe management of waste stockpile is critical in workplaces where large quantities of hazardous waste materials are handled and stored. Leading Bio-Energy’s failure to ensure this reflects poorly on its top management.”
The ministry urged all employers to prioritise the safety of their workers and adhere strictly to workplace safety regulations. It said workers must look out for one another to ensure that the workplace is safe for all.
