A director of a logistics company was fined S$8,000 on 20 Mar 2025 after instructing an employee to tamper with evidence following a fatal workplace accident in 2018.
The incident involved rubber sheets weighing 577kg that crushed an operations manager at a container facility in Boon Lay.
Workplace Fatality and Scene Tampering at Logistics Company
Lim Choon Hwee, 49, who was a director at Dyna-Log Singapore, pleaded guilty to modifying the accident scene by instructing a controller from the company to replace slippers worn by the victim with safety boots.
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The company, which provided logistical services including loading, unloading, and transportation of containers, was fined S$200,000 for failing to ensure adequate safety measures were in place.
The victim, Mr Yong Him Chong, an operations manager at Dyna-Log Singapore, was standing behind a container to check and verify its contents on 22 Nov 2018.
He had operated a forklift to clear items stored near the container and opened its doors to photograph the goods inside. When he opened the container’s left door, a bundle of rubber sheets weighing 577kg toppled out and pinned him to the ground.
Mr Yong was found by co-workers but was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. An autopsy determined he had died from traumatic asphyxia, consistent with being pinned down by a heavy object.
At the time of the accident, Mr Yong was wearing slippers, which went against the company’s safety protocols.
After the incident, Lim instructed a controller to place safety boots near Mr Yong’s body and to take his slippers to their office. This action was captured on closed-circuit television footage, which showed the controller bringing safety boots to the scene and leaving with slippers.
Safety Violations and Legal Consequences
Investigations revealed that while Dyna-Log Singapore had conducted risk assessments and established safe work procedures for collection, delivery, and forklift operations, none of these control measures were actually followed.
Furthermore, Mr Yong had not been briefed on potential hazards associated with accessing vehicle decks and their loads.
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Based on photographs taken by Mr Yong just before the incident, the bundle that crushed him was not stacked in a stable manner and had likely shifted during transit.
In court, the Ministry of Manpower prosecutor argued that Lim had instructed the controller to place boots near Mr Yong’s body to mislead investigators by tampering with the accident scene. Lim’s lawyer from IRB Law countered that describing this as an attempt to mislead authorities was “going too far” and sought a lower fine.
District Judge Salina Ishak emphasized that deterrence was the primary sentencing consideration. She noted how Lim had personally instructed the controller to modify the scene, which she agreed was a “clear attempt to mislead investigators.”
The judge added that such actions could hamper efforts to protect workers’ lives, embolden others to evade responsibility, and ultimately erode the effectiveness of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
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