Back in November 2013, an explosion rocked an incineration plant in Tuas in a chemical accident, causing a blaze that unfurled over an area the size of two football fields.
Years since the incident, waste management company Veolia Environmental Services Singapore has since been fined $135,000 over the explosion that injured three of their workers, The Straits Times reports. The firm pleaded guilty to contravening the Workplace Safety and Health Act — they failed to conduct thorough testing of a waste liquid before mixing it with a chemical liquid.
The three employees had been mixing them for safety reasons, and were about 20m away from the incinerator area when highly flammable colourless fumes were released. The resulting explosion caused a fire that spread rapidly through the plant, which took the efforts of 60 firefighters to extinguish. The three employees suffered various levels of burns on their body, with the worst victim suffering third-degree burns to two thirds of his body.
Investigations revealed that the batch of waste liquid had been contaminated with a highly volatile chemical substance, which was not detected. Flammable gas detectors were also not used to monitor the work environment.
Prior to sentencing, Veolia’s lawyer had asked for a lower fine, considering that the company had forked out $800,000 in medical fees for the assistant operations manager who suffered the third-degree burns on his body.
