Absolute Safety and engineering

15 Dec 2010, Ref: 1011083

First Employer Fined $20K for Death of Worker from Heat Stroke

The sole proprietor of a company was fined S$20,000 for failing to implement adequate measures to protect his workers from heat stress.

On 25 April 2009, the worker was involved in fabrication work in an open yard. He collapsed after working under the sun (average ambient temperature was about 32.9 degrees Celsius) for five hours within the yard. He died of heatstroke 4 days after the incident.

Investigations revealed that the deceased worker was from north-east China where the average annual temperature was between 6 and 11 degrees Celsius. It was his second day working in Singapore and he was likely not adjusted to the Singapore climate. MOM’s investigations revealed that the company did not take the necessary measures to ensure the workplace safety and health of its employees, this contributed to the death of the worker.

Singapore's Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health, Er. Ho Siong Hin, said employers should be aware and more mindful of the effects of heat exhaustion on workers, especially those who were used to a cooler climate.

Managing Heat Stress at the Workplace

Singapore’s hot and humid weather can put workers at an increased risk of heat stress and heat stroke, and this may lead to serious health consequences. To prevent such incidents, the Workplace Safety and Health Council urges companies to implement a programme to better manage heat stress at workplace. These measures should:

- Ensure that the new workers are acclimatised over at least one week by increasing workload and time spent gradually;
- Encourage alternate work and rest periods, such as five minutes' rest for every 25 minutes worked;
- Allow work in the open to be scheduled in the early morning or late afternoon, when it is cooler.

More details are available in the WSH Council’s “Managing Heat Stress at the Workplace” Guideline. It highlights the factors which contribute to heat stress and recommends practicable measures for both employers and employees to reduce the risks of developing heat-related illnesses. The Guideline also includes a checklist to help evaluate the risk of heat stress. Please click HERE for the Guideline.