No foul play suspected in Rifle Range accident that killed man
The police do not suspect foul play after an ill-fated attempt to move a nearly 900kg machine at a Rifle Range Road worksite led to the death of a 31-year-old Singaporean man in December 2022.
During a coroner’s inquiry on Nov 5 into Mr Ely Chow’s workplace death, the police said Mr Chow and his colleagues were tasked to move a crimping machine from one area of the site to another.
Senior Staff Sergeant (SSS) Ng Tyan Soon testified that the group was tasked to move the machine with the help of a forklift within the site, which was occupied by ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering.
A crimping machine is generally used to attach metal fittings to hose ends by crimping them together.
SSS Ng, the investigating officer in Mr Chow’s case, said that before lifting the machine with the forklift, the forklift operator had asked Mr Chow to make sure there were no obstructions as his view was blocked.
The court heard that the machine was enclosed in a box structure.
At about 7.45am on Dec 27, 2022, Mr Chow went to check the area. After a “clear” signal was given, the forklift driver inserted the forks into the box holding the machine.
Mr Edmund Ng, a senior investigation officer with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), testified that the forks of the forklift can move laterally as well as tilt at an angle.
Tilting at an angle is usually done to ensure the centre of gravity of the load is close to the forklift for stability.
MOM’s Mr Ng said that CCTV footage showed the forklift driver had inserted the forks into the box and lifted it up before tilting the forks.
He said he had observed from the footage that the forks were not fully inserted when the load was tilted.
At this point, the box holding the 900kg crimping machine, which is described as being “top-heavy”, fell forward, striking Mr Chow on his forehead before pinning him on the ground from the waist down.
SSS Ng said that by the time the supervisor was alerted and arrived at the scene, Mr Chow had been propped up and was leaning against a wall.
He was observed to have a swollen face and was bleeding out of his nose and mouth. Mr Chow was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital but was pronounced dead at 9.03am.
Mr Ng said that the forklift driver was certified to operate the forklift, and at the time had been operating forklifts at the Rifle Range worksite for 3½ years.
When asked if the crimping machine had previously been moved around the compound, he noted that it had been shifted successfully in the past, although a pallet lifter was used on those occasions.
Mr Ng added that this appeared to be the first time the machine was being moved by a forklift.
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda offered his condolences to Mr Chow’s parents and sister, who were in court on Nov 5.
He said the court will publish its findings on the inquiry on Jan 24, 2025.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now