[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Investigators found flaws in Underwater World Singapore’s (UWS) security measures after a stingray fatally stings one of its divers in 2016.
Among other things, a district court heard Thursday (January 14) that the now-defunct Sentosa attraction had failed to provide adequate emergency recovery procedures during diving operations.
UWS also had not implemented a system to document the controls of diving equipment before it was used.
However, the court heard that the lapses had not resulted in the death of Mr. Chan Kum Weng.
The 62-year-old man and his colleagues were attempting to catch a leopard stingray around 2:30 p.m. on October 4, 2016, when it suddenly attacked him.
The stingray’s poisonous barb on his tail pierced his chest and he was pronounced dead later that day.
On March 1, 2017, then-State Coroner Marvin Bay deemed Chan’s death a tragic disgrace.
UWS, which was owned by Haw Par Leisure, admitted in district court Thursday that it had failed to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of its workers. He pleaded guilty to a crime under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Mr. Chan had worked for UWS for 25 years. The attraction had appointed him to plan and execute the capture of marine animals before and after it closed its doors forever.
UWS ceased operations in June 2016.
Labor Ministry prosecutor Mohd Rizal said he was in the process of vacating his Siloso Road facility when the tragedy struck four months later.
Chan and his colleagues were trying to capture the leopard stingray in a reef tank for transfer to another tank.
After he was stung by the stingray, he was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where he died of a “penetrating chest wound from a stingray barb” at around 3:30 pm that day.
Following this tragedy, investigations revealed that UWS failed to document safe working procedures for the capture of marine animals.
Mr. Mohd said: “This activity was mainly carried out by (Mr. Chan) and he would plan and execute the trapping work, which included information on the trapping methods he had devised, the allocation of the required labor, the necessary equipment and the foreseeable risks and precautions to take during capture.
“Investigations further revealed that no standby diver was designated in the event of an emergency … If a diver were to encounter an emergency situation, such as loss of consciousness, the fellow diver would not pick him up immediately, as he would not there was line of sight or any form of lifeline provided. “
On Thursday, Mohd urged the court to sentence UWS to a fine of at least $ 150,000, emphasizing that there was also no system for equipment checks prior to diving at the attraction.
UWS will be sentenced on February 25. For committing the crime, UWS can be fined up to $ 500,000.
Join ST’s Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news.
[ad_2]
