Ministerial statement: Grace Fu on safety practices after Tuas Incineration Plant fatal explosion

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has strengthened its workplace safety practices and culture following an explosion at Tuas Incineration Plant in 2021 that killed two of its officers and injured one. These measures involve operational enhancements at waste management facilities and a reassessment of the agency's workplace safety and health practices at an organisational level. Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu outlined these measures in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 9). NEA and two senior officers have been charged under the Workplace Safety and Health Act over the fatal explosion. She told the House that she could not go into details of the incident or what contributed to it. She also declined to elaborate on "personnel matters", saying that the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) will work with the board of NEA to study the court's decision after it is released. This includes how the two accused employees will be dealt with, which involves performance assessment, remuneration and disciplinary action. On September 23, 2021, three NEA officers were sent to troubleshoot a fault in the incineration plant. A control room at the incineration plant was unable to remotely switch off an industrial fan. The three men were in an electrical switch room when the explosion happened. "Following the incident, NEA provided the families of all three officers with care and support, covered all medical expenses and provided workplace injury compensation," said Ms Fu. "Till this day, NEA remains in contact with the families of the two late officers,” she added. Tuas Incineration Plant stopped receiving waste for incineration and was shut down immediately after the explosion, said Ms Fu. NEA was issued a Stop Work Order by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), during which NEA engineering officers completed checks on machinery and reviewed all safety procedures at the plant, she added. These were complemented by checks and tests from an external licensed electrical engineer. NEA did likewise at the Tuas South Incineration Plant. NEA also notified private operators of incineration plants about the incident and requested them to review their safety procedures and equipment. Tuas Incineration Plant resumed partial operations on October 13, 2021 and the Stop Work Order was eventually lifted by MOM on November 24, 2021. Operations at the Tuas Incineration Plant stopped in February 2022 as part of development plans to replace it with the TuasOne Waste-To-Energy Plant. The plant was eventually decommissioned in July 2022. After the incident, NEA convened an internal investigation panel to ascertain the events which led to the incident, identify the possible causes and recommend additional measures to prevent a recurrence, said Ms Fu. The agency also engaged an external technical expert to independently review the affected equipment and advise the panel on the likely cause of the explosion. MOM, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and other technical agencies conducted independent investigations. Ms Fu said NEA’s internal investigation panel made recommendations to strengthen the plant’s work system and processes involving high-voltage works. All recommendations were accepted by NEA and have been implemented at the Tuas South Incineration Plant, the only waste incineration plant that it currently operates. At the facility level, NEA is reviewing the operations of waste management facilities, including Semakau Landfill. It has appointed an external advisory panel comprising senior industry leaders experienced in managing large facilities and operations. The agency is also engaging consultants for a technical review of existing processes. At an organisational level, NEA has taken steps to improve workplace safety and health. After the charges were filed, NEA called an organisation-wide safety timeout to reassess work processes and conduct safety walkabouts. NEA is also seeking external validation of its workplace safety and health practices through an audit later this year. Its board was restructured last year to include a dedicated risk committee. “The localised explosion at Tuas Incineration Plant in 2021 was a painful chapter for NEA and the MSE family. As I have set out in my statement, NEA has implemented measures to prevent similar incidents from taking place. More broadly, as part of its continuous journey of improvement, NEA has strengthened workplace health and safety at its waste management facilities and across the entire organisation," said Ms Fu.