IPOH, April 8 — The lack of a ventilation system has been identified as one of the causes behind the deaths of three individuals during a cleaning operation in a sewer shaft at a resort construction site in Lenggong on April 6, said the Perak Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).

In a statement, DOSH said that based on investigations conducted at the site, no records of safe work procedures for confined space entry were provided to the workers, as required under the Industry Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined Space 2010.

"The resort construction site has yet to submit the mandatory construction project notification (JKKP 12) to the department,” read the statement today.

According to DOSH’s preliminary investigation, two of the victims were daily wage workers assigned to general tasks, including the construction of the sewer system, while the third victim was a member of the public.

The statement added that concrete work for the construction of the sewer manhole — measuring 4.04 metres in length, 5.20 metres in width, and 2.4 metres in depth — was carried out about two weeks ago. Upon completion of the concrete works, the manhole was sealed.

"On April 6, 2025, at around 9.30am, the first victim opened the manhole and entered the sewer shaft, causing him to lose consciousness.

"The second victim went down the shaft to help his colleague, but he lost consciousness. The third individual collapsed while attempting to help. The first and second victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and the third victim died at the Lenggong Health Clinic,” said the statement.

It said that DOSH takes incidents involving workers and the public seriously, stressing that employers have complete control over workplace activities and are responsible for identifying hazards, conducting risk assessments, and implementing effective risk control measures before any work is carried out.

The department said legal action will be taken against those found violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.

According to the statement, DOSH has issued an immediate stop-work notice for all work activities at the sewer manhole and placed a seizure order on the work area pending investigation.

"DOSH will also conduct further investigation by obtaining related documents and recording statements of witnesses.

"A directive letter was also issued to ensure that safe work procedures and risk assessments for activities at the sewer manhole are carried out, including the appointment of qualified personnel such as Authorised Gas Testers (AGT),” it added. — Bernama