SINGAPORE, Nov 20 — The general manager of Singapore’s Tuas Incineration Plant — one of the city-state’s main waste-to-energy facilities — has reportedly been fined S$145,000 for workplace safety lapses linked to a 2021 explosion that killed two employees and seriously injured another.

Ng Wah Yong, 56, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failures in overseeing high-risk electrical operations at the facility, Singapore-based The Straits Times reported.

The case reportedly follows the National Environmental Agency’s (NEA) S$230,000 fine on Nov 18 for similar shortcomings.

According to the report, the court heard that Ng failed to ensure the plant’s permit-to-work system met regulatory standards and did not establish safe work procedures for high-voltage switchgear racking.

Prosecutors argued that these lapses allowed unqualified personnel to issue hazardous-work permits and left workers without clear safety guidance.

On Sept 23, 2021, three senior electrical staff entered a switchgear room to troubleshoot a fault, where an arc-flash explosion occurred during prohibited live racking.

Two long-serving employees, Kwok Yeow Wai, 65, and Wee Eng Leng, 64, later died from their injuries, while engineer Low Yin Choon, 59, was seriously hurt.

The judge reportedly ruled that multiple systemic failures at NEA contributed to the fatal incident despite defence arguments about rare equipment faults.

NEA has since said it accepts responsibility for the lapses and noted that the plant was decommissioned in 2022.