Two companies fined in separate cases of fatalities of 2 truck drivers

Two companies — Woodlands Transport Service and Cummins Asia Pacific — were fined $130,000 and $80,000 respectively for “failure to take adequate safety measures under the WSH Act that led to the death of a prime mover driver in each company,” the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement released on Thursday (Jul 20).

In Woodlands Transport Service’s case, driver Yeoh Lim Koon died of his injuries on Oct 9, 2015, after his truck rolled down a slope with a 24-tonne trailer load. The incident occurred at a Telok Blangah work site, and Yeoh had attempted to get into the cabin to halt the vehicle, only to fall and get dragged along by the trailer. He reportedly notified his employer multiple times about a defective handbrake on the vehicle, but the company held back repairs to hunt for cheaper replacement parts.

According to investigations, there was a leak in in the semi’s air tank, and this could have caused the handbrake to malfunction.

MOM revealed that the company failed to follow up on the issue of the replacement parts, and so the problem was never repaired. The ministry’s director of Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, Chan Yew Kwong, said “the company failed to rectify the ineffective handbrake of its prime mover despite numerous reports by the driver, and put him at risk by permitting him to continue driving it.”

In a separate case, Cummins Asia Pacific’s fatal incident took place on Mar 25, 2015. Driver Yu Hairui was maneuvering a U-turn on a ramp in a congested area at CWT Logistics Hub 3 when the 12m container dislodged from the trailer and fell onto the cabin of the prime mover. Yu succumbed to his injuries that same day.

Investigations showed that the 18-wheeler drivers had difficulty steering their vehicles due to the crowded premises, and at least one of the four twist locks securing the container to the trailer on Yu’s vehicle was not fastened.

MOM stated that the company was charged for failing to ensure safe driving conditions that were in line with the Workplace Traffic Management Plan.

“These accidents could have been prevented if companies do not compromise the safety of their workers,” Chan said. “There is no business cost that can account for a life lost and MOM will make sure companies understand this fully.”