On 24 February 2021, a tragedy befell an industrial building in Tuas.
An explosion had occurred, resulting in a fire that claimed the lives of three migrant workers.
Another five remain in critical condition at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
And though two other victims have since been discharged, the woes of the deceased cannot be dismissed.
Especially when two of them were the sole breadwinners for their families.
2 Workers Who Passed Away in Tuas Fire Were Breadwinners For Their Families
According to The Straits Times, three of the unfortunate victims – who died in the fire – have been identified.
Non-profit organisation ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR) had endeavoured to establish the identities of the fallen victims, and subsequently released their findings earlier yesterday (2 Mar).
According to IRR’s Facebook post, two were workers from Bangladesh, while one was a site supervisor from India.
They were all breadwinners in their own right.
The first worker was Shohel Md., who turned 23 in February 2021. The second of five siblings, Shohel told his father to cease work before he left for Singapore in 2019, stating that he would take care of the family.
The second worker was 29-year-old Anisuzzaman “Ani” Md., who had stayed in Singapore for around 17 months. As his parents were not fit to work, he was considered the key breadwinner for his family. Apparently, he had taken out a loan to come to Singapore, and had yet to settle his debt before his demise.
The third casualty was site supervisor Mr Marimuthu, a 38-year-old Indian national who was last home in August 2019. Having worked in Singapore for 12 years, he was ultimately was never able to see his 10-month-old daughter.
According to the post, Mr Marimuthu was also the pillar of his family – which comprises of four sisters, their mother, a blind father, as well as his spouse and children.
Meanwhile, the five migrant workers who are in critical condition have also been identified. Volunteers are said to be in contact with their families to provide support.
In an update, The Straits Times expressed that four of the five affiliated workers at SGH have since been shifted from intensive care to the high dependency unit.
They are described as being in stable condition.
Compensation
According to The Straits Times, compensation is being negotiated for the affected workers.
Under the Work Injury Compensation Act, the lowest sum for death is $76,000, while the highest is $225,000.
The maximum amount for medical expenses is $45,000.
A fund-raising scheme has also been set up by IRR on Giving.sg, with around $325,000 raised from more than 4,000 donors as at 11:30am today.
All proceeds will be allocated equally among the victims.
“Give Asia will assist to disburse the proceeds to the families once the campaign closes, and as in previous cases, we will advise the families on managing the funds to the best extent we can,” IRR said.
The campaign is tentatively expected to operate until noon on 3 March 2021.
Meanwhile, IRR has also commended the efforts of volunteers, who have worked tirelessly in their efforts to lend support to the victims and their families.
“This effort has not been easy and has taken a huge physical and emotional toll on our volunteer team involved. None of them are remunerated for what they do.
“They have been working non-stop for days, speaking to crying family members, answering questions from donors and media, doing all the due diligence and getting all the documentation in place that is needed for Give Asia to start an appeal.
“Many of our volunteers have lost appetite and sleep and have not even been able to spend family time or de-stress as they feel they are living in a parallel universe attending to these brothers and their distressed families.”
The Explosion
Initial investigations done by the organisation have revealed that the explosion was due to a combustible dust explosion. The dust, in potato starch powder form, came from one of the materials that the company used for its product.
As Mr Sng said to Todayonline, “The dust can be generated during the transfer of these powders… And, over time, the dust can accumulate in the environment, especially if the ventilation of the housekeeping is inadequate.
“And when the dust comes into contact with a source of ignition, an explosion will occur, as we saw in this accident.”
The industrial building which suffered the blast was Stars Engrg, which engages in the business of fire protection and manufactured insulation pipes.
Mr Sng expressed concern over the incident, urging “all companies undertaking similar operations involving combustible materials in powder form to review the safe procedure to minimise, especially to their housekeeping, as well as their ventilation system to ensure that dust does not accumulate within an enclosed environment.”
He vowed, “We must do all that we can to prevent the further loss of life.”
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has also promised to strengthen engagement and enforcement with the industrial sector.
Feature Image: GIVE.asia
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