Estelle Low , Kimberly Lim, Straits Times 1 Mar 09;
A worker died yesterday, bringing the fatality count from a chemical spill in Tuas to three.
Two other workers died on Friday in the incident at Chemic Industries, when they suffered burns after a small quantity of nitric acid leaked from the flange joint of a heat exchanging unit.
Another two workers are now warded in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). One of them is in critical condition with 70 per cent burns, while the other is in stable condition with 4 per cent burns. All the five workers were from India.
At least eight of their colleagues were keeping vigil at the intensive care unit when The Sunday Times visited the SGH Burns Centre yesterday.
This was the first time such an accident had happened, said a staff member from Chemic Industries who declined to be named.
The three men who died were in their 20s and 30s, and married with families in India. Their families have been notified.
The staff member described them as 'true family men' who would send the bulk of their salaries back to India every month.
'They were all good people who had never caused trouble. It's not just one but three lives lost in two days. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the other two men will pull through,' he said.
The company has arranged for at least one employee to be at the intensive care unit round the clock to monitor their condition.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said a stop-work order has been issued to the company.
Police investigations are still ongoing.
3 workers dead, 2 others suffer burns from chemical spill in Tuas
Cheryl Frois, Channel NewsAsia 28 Feb 09;
SINGAPORE: Three workers have died after a chemical spill took place their work site in Tuas on Friday.
Two died last night from chemical burns, while the third man succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning.
Another worker is in critical condition at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) with 70 per cent burns to his body.
A fifth worker is now in stable condition at SGH.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident when yellow fumes were seen coming from the first level of the building.
The workers were conducting equipment maintenance works when the incident took place.
The Civil Defence Hazardous Materials team de-contaminated the workers before they were sent to the National University Hospital for treatment.
They were later transferred to SGH.
The workplace was then cleared of the fumes using absorbents and water. - CNA/vm
Acid spill: Bodies of 3 dead to be flown home
Straits Times 2 Mar 09;
THE bodies of three workers who died after they were exposed to a nitric acid spill last Friday will be flown back to their hometowns in India.
Two other Indian workers who were injured remain warded at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) burns unit.
One is in critical condition with burns to 70 per cent of his body, while the other is in stable condition with 4 per cent burns.
The incident at Chemic Industries, located in a factory in Tuas, happened when a small quantity of nitric acid leaked from the flange joint of a heat exchanging unit. The leak led to yellow-coloured smoke billowing from the unit.
Workers from nearby units said the smoke had a drying effect on their mouths and throats. The five workers from Chemic Industries were carrying out maintenance work at that time.
Yesterday afternoon, about 10 colleagues and friends of the two surviving men kept vigil at the SGH burns unit.
The less-seriously injured worker was recovering, his brother told The Straits Times. He declined to say more.
When asked about safety measures put in place at the factory, a Chemic Industries employee said the company sets high expectations of safety among its employees. 'Every time the workers are assigned a job, they are told to put on their safety gear,' he said.
The Manpower Ministry has issued a stop-work order to Chemic Industries and both the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force are also investigating the incident.
Nitric acid is a highly corrosive and toxic acid that can cause severe burns. It is used in a wide variety of industrial processes such as the production of fertilisers.
ESTHER TAN
Tuas acid spill: Fourth man dies
Fifth victim expected to be discharged soon
Diana Othman, Straits Times 4 Mar 09;
A FOURTH worker has died of his injuries from a nitric acid spill which occurred last Friday at a factory in Tuas.
Mr Arumugam Mahadevan, 20, suffered about 70 per cent burns to his body and was in critical condition when he was taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). He was in the burns unit for about four days before he finally succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.
The death toll from the spill at Chemic Industries makes it one of the worst industrial accidents in recent years. Prior to last week's incident, a flash fire that killed seven people on the Portuguese-registered oil tanker Almudaina on May 29, 2004 was probably the worst accident to have occurred.
Mr Mahadevan, who was the eldest of four children, had been in Singapore for just seven months. His ashes are scheduled to be flown home to Chennai, India tomorrow.
The fifth victim had 4 per cent burns and is in stable condition. He is expected to be discharged soon. The bodies of the other three workers who died have been flown back to their families in Chennai. They were Mr Chinnapilai Soundarajan, 37, Mr Subrayan Renga Rayar, 26, and Mr Santhana Pitchai Amirtham, 28.
The accident occurred when a small quantity of nitric acid leaked while a heat exchanging unit was being cleaned. The five victims suffered burns to their faces and upper bodies.
The Manpower Ministry has ordered Chemic Industries to shut down and stop all works while the company's work processes are being checked. The company has declined to comment.
Companies which breach the Workplace Safety and Health Act by not ensuring the safety of their workers may be fined up to $500,000. Individuals may be fined up to $200,000 and/or jailed up to two years.
According to Mr Andrew Tan, 52, the vice-president of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers, companies which deal with toxic materials should have more stringent control measures than other manufacturing businesses. He added that it would be beneficial for companies to hold emergency response drills at least twice a year.
National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general and MP Halimah Yacob said the incident underscored the need for Singapore companies to work on improving workplace safety. 'Safety is everyone's business so both employers and workers need to take greater ownership of safety rules.'
Other deadly industrial accidents
Straits Times 4 Mar 09;
OVER the past year or so, most of the industrial accidents that resulted in multiple fatalities took place on ships:
July 23, 2008: Two workers, a 35-year-old Malaysian and a 25-year-old Indian national, died on board a ship at the Western Anchorage in Singapore's southern waters.
It was believed that the two men had fallen into a 3m-deep tank in the Formosagas 3, a Liberia-registered liquefied petroleum gas tanker.
June 17, 2008: Two workers died of suspected gas poisoning on board the Pacific Ataawhai at DryDocks World Singapore in Tuas Crescent.
The two men, aged 21 and 25, were believed to have suffocated while performing what is known in the industry as 'hot work' - working with heat or flame - below deck.
June 8, 2008: Three workers died of burns after an explosion on the Rainbow Star, a Belize-registered vessel.
A flash fire was believed to have broken out on the ship, which was in the final stages of repair at Kreuz Shipbuilding & Engineering in Tuas.
