Rail operator SMRT Trains was fined $240,000 on 5 May 2025 for failing to ensure workplace safety, following a fatal accident at Bishan Depot in 2020 that claimed the life of a technical officer.
Technical Officer’s Death Linked to Missing Safety Features on Hydraulic Press
Muhammad Afiq bin Senawi, 30, was using a hydraulic press machine at the rolling stock workshop in Bishan Depot on 23 Mar 2020 when the accident happened.
Mr Afiq had placed a component into the machine and activated the piston. However, he failed to remove a similar older component, causing pressure to build up.
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This pressure buildup resulted in a spacer rod weighing nearly 3kg shooting out of the machine. The rod broke through the protective fencing gate and struck Mr Afiq in the face.
He was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he died of face and chest injuries at 10:15 AM that same day.
Coroner Christopher Goh later ruled his death as an unfortunate misadventure.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigation revealed crucial safety failures that contributed to the accident. After dismantling it for repairs, SMRT Trains failed to install a pressure gauge for the hydraulic press machine.
A maintenance work record from 11 Jun 2018 showed the hydraulic pressure gauge was damaged.
An engineering maintenance manager had instructed that the gauge be dismantled, but later overlooked its reinstallation.
Another work record dated 16 Dec 2018 stated that the pressure gauge was sent for calibration.
The machine’s most recent maintenance prior to the accident was carried out on 2 January 2020, and the gauge was still not installed.
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MOM prosecutor Kimberly Boo told the court the spacer rod “was not secured to any other component,” creating “a hazard of the spacer rod displacing from its position and shooting out during operations.”
Ms Boo explained that while operators weren’t required to monitor exact pressure, “the presence of a pressure gauge would provide an indication to operators on whether the force applied in any installation or removal had increased disproportionately.”
SMRT had also failed to limit the pressure setting of the machine, which would have reduced operators’ exposure to excessive force.
Previous Safety Violations Factored into SMRT’s Sentencing Decision
The SMRT defence counsel argued during sentencing that the incident reflected an “extreme scenario” when safety measures weren’t in place, rather than a result of disregard for safety.
The defence pointed out that SMRT had operated the hydraulic press machine for more than 20 years without incident.
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They also noted the company had been free of workplace accidents in the five years leading up to the incident. It was also reported that SMRT’s workplace injury rate was lower than the average in Singapore’s transport and logistics industry.
However, Ms Boo highlighted SMRT’s five workplace safety convictions between 2010 and 2020, which she characterized as a “pattern” of offending.
These previous violations included a $400,000 fine following the death of two workers hit by a train in March 2016.
SMRT was also fined $230,000 for a December 2018 incident that resulted in a worker’s leg amputation.
Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun stated he took SMRT’s previous related convictions into consideration when imposing the fine. He emphasised the necessity for the company and its staff to take initiative in identifying and addressing safety risks.
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The charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act carries a maximum fine of $1 million.
SMRT Trains was charged in court in 2023, with the sentencing concluding on 5 May 2025.
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