PSA Corporation fined $225K over 2017 death but SPH stays mum

SINGAPORE: Veteran journalist Bertha Henson has pointed out that the national broadsheet has failed to report on the $225,000 fine port operator PSA Corporation Limited was handed last week over the death of a 29-year-old technical specialist in 2017.

The fine was handed down after a 33-day trial at the State Courts on Jun 5. PSA Corporation was found guilty of failing to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety of its employees, an offence under Section 12(1) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

The PSA-employed technical specialist was killed while carrying out repair works at Keppel Terminal in Tanjong Pagar on Sep 20, 2017.

The court heard that he had been performing repair work on a Mitsui quay crane when he was pulled into a narrow gap between the crane’s rope drum and a nearby platform.

The young man suffered multiple crushing injuries after becoming caught in the rotating machinery and was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to prosecutors, the tragedy was the result of longstanding safety shortcomings that had persisted for more than a decade. Maintenance personnel conducting functional tests on the rope drum were required to work from a platform measuring about 23 centimetres in width, while standing just 8 to 10 centimetres away from rapidly rotating machinery.

The prosecution argued that PSA had failed to develop safety procedures tailored to the Mitsui crane involved in the accident. Instead, workers relied on a general procedure intended for other crane models and on informal guidance passed down by more experienced colleagues. Witnesses testified that there were no safer positions available from which to carry out the required inspections.

PSA contested these claims during the trial, arguing that appropriate safe work procedures were already in place and that the platform itself was sufficiently safe. The company also maintained that workers did not need to conduct inspections from close proximity during testing and that alternative positions were available.

PSA, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek-held PSA International, also contended that the deceased should have recognised and avoided the hazard.

On Jun 13, CNA reported that PSA has paid the fine but is appealing against its conviction.

A PSA Singapore spokesperson told CNA: “Ensuring the safety, health and welfare of persons at work is fundamental to everything we do, and workplace safety is of paramount importance at our premises.

“Following the incident, PSA Singapore fully assisted the investigating authorities. We deeply regret the incident and extend our sincere condolences to the family of our deceased colleague.”

The S$225,000 penalty falls at the lower end of the sentencing range for workplace deaths involving what the courts classify as “moderate culpability.” Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, the maximum fine for a first-time corporate offender is S$500,000.

The 2017 fatality was not the only workplace death recorded at Keppel Terminal in recent years. In January 2023, a Malaysian prime mover driver employed by a PSA contractor died after his vehicle plunged off a berth into the sea.

Keppel and Tanjong Pagar terminals are due to relocate to Tuas by 2027 as part of Singapore’s port consolidation plans.

Despite the lengthy trial and the involvement of one of Singapore’s largest port operators, the case has received little attention in any of SPH Media’s English titles.

Commenting on the matter in a Facebook post, Ms Henson noted, “You might remember the case when it happened – the man was trapped in a cable drum and pronounced dead on the scene,” she wrote, “There were no follow-ups after that. Then suddenly, after NINE years, we have news – but reported only by Shin Min, summarised in Zaobao and picked up by mothership.”

She added, “I can’t find anything in English-language media, whether about the 33-day trial (!), the verdict or the sentencing. There is no MOM press statement either.”

The lack of coverage has also renewed scrutiny of Singapore’s mainstream media landscape. In 2022, the Ministry of Communications and Information announced that SPH Media Trust could receive up to S$900 million in government funding over five years to support its operations and public service mission.

Since then, approximately S$320 million has been disbursed across the 2022 and 2023 financial years. A further S$260 million was allocated in FY2024, bringing total funding released so far to about S$580 million.