SINGAPORE - A construction company and its project manager were fined $150,000 and $40,000 respectively for undertaking inadequate safety measures which led to the death of one worker and injury to another.

Yong Xing Construction and its project manager Zhong Jia Xiang were charged under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for the 2015 incident where a concrete slab fell on two workers.

Six workers were manually excavating soil underneath a box drain at a Sunview Way construction site when a concrete slab collapsed from the underside of the box drain, killing Mr Dewan Ratul and injuring Mr Sheikh Sapan.

An investigation by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that Yong Xing Construction provided inadequate risk assessment and safety control measures.

Investigations found that Mr Zhong was aware that the concrete on the underside of the box drain could collapse as the concrete was only supported by the soil it sat on. But he assumed that the concrete would fall in small pieces and instructed the workers, who were wearing only personal protective equipment, to carry out excavation works .

In a release on Thursday (July 6), MOM's director of occupational safety and health inspectorate Chan Yew Kwong said that the fatal accident could have been prevented.

"Those sentenced today failed the six workers who were sent into an unsafe environment to carry out excavation works...the MOM will not hesitate to prosecute companies and project managers that fail to ensure safety," said Mr Chan.