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Pasir Ris rail accident

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Pasir Ris rail accident
Tracks leading out of Pasir Ris station, where the accident took place. The accident occurred at the track switch in the distance.
Details
Date22 March 2016; 10 years ago (2016-03-22)
LocationNear Pasir Ris MRT station
CountrySingapore
LineEast–West Line
OperatorSMRT Trains
Incident typeCollision with track workers on track
CauseHuman error (failure to comply with safety procedures)[1]
Statistics
Trains1
Deaths2 (SMRT staff)
Injured0

On 22 March 2016, two SMRT Trains track workers, Nasrulhudin Majumudin and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, were killed by a train at the track switch near Pasir Ris MRT station. They were trainees and had been investigating a track point fault as part of a team of 15.[2][3]

The engineer who led the inspection team was charged with negligence causing death under the Penal Code of Singapore[4] and sentenced to 4 weeks in jail.[5] SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT's management were charged for violating the Workplace Safety and Health Act for lapses which led to the accident,[4] and were fined $400,000[3] and $55,000 respectively.[2] On 20 July 2018, SMRT was fined S$1.9 million (US$1.41 million) for the deaths of Nasrulhudin and Buhari and a flooding incident at Bishan MRT station.[6][7]

Incident

[edit]

The incident occurred at 11:10 a.m. on 22 March 2016, when a team of 15 track personnel was deployed to a track switch near Pasir Ris station to investigate a high voltage alarm that indicated a possible track point fault.[8][9] The team walked on the side walkway beside the tracks in a single file towards the track point equipment. The two workers, Nasrulhudin Najumudin and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, were second and third in line.[9][10] Both were trainees in SMRT Trains and the task was part of their on-the-job training.[9][11] No speed restriction or ATC-code restriction was imposed on that section of track and there was no railway watchman to warn train captains of the presence of workers on track.[1][12] The train involved was on automatic mode and maintained a speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph).[1]

The team had to cross over the third rail supplying trains power to access the signalling equipment. Nasrulhudin, Buhari, and the supervisor were already crossing over the rail when the senior officer in the team noticed the train and yelled, "Train is coming! The train is coming!" The train driver noticed the track workers and applied the emergency brakes. However, the train struck both Nasrulhudin and Buhari. Nasrulhudin was crushed, while Buhari was flung to the track.[9] Both personnel suffered severe injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Service between Tanah Merah station and Pasir Ris was suspended as a result for more than two hours, affecting 10,000 commuters.[8]

Investigation

[edit]

Investigations by SMRT Corporation revealed that there was no request to impose the safety code before the inspection team went on track to investigate the high voltage alarm.[5] The engineer did not liaise with the duty station manager on when to impose the safety code and hence did not impose the safety code before the team was supposed to leave the station platform. The inspection team walked to the work site instead of taking a designated train to send them there. A standard printed sign to warn train drivers that there are works in progress was not displayed but a handwritten sign was displayed with no indication of personnel working on the track ahead.[5]

Aftermath

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After an internal investigation, SMRT fired both the engineer who led the track team and the train driver and also disciplined the staff involved for their role in the incident. The firing of both employees attracted online controversy, with Singaporeans on social media questioning whether it was the right decision.[13] On 2 December 2016, SMRT Trains, the director of control operations and the SMRT engineer who led the track team were charged in court for the incident.[14][15] Upon investigation, it was revealed that safety protocols were not implemented that would have prevented the train from entering the worksite.[16]

The engineer who led the inspection team was charged with negligence causing death under the Penal Code.[4] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment.[5]

SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT management were charged for violating the Workplace Safety and Health Act for lapses which led to the accident,[4] and were fined $400,000[3] and $55,000[2] respectively after they both pleaded guilty to their charges.

In July 2018, SMRT was fined S$1.9 million by the Land Transport Authority for the deaths of Nasrulhudin and Buhari and a flooding incident at Bishan MRT station.[17]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Tan, Christopher (26 April 2016). "Safety lapses cause of fatal accident: SMRT". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Chong, Elena (29 September 2017). "SMRT Trains director of control operations fined $55,000 over fatal track accident". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Chong, Elena (28 February 2017). "SMRT Trains fined $400k for workplace safety lapse which resulted in two deaths". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ng, Kelly (2 December 2016). "SMRT charged over fatal accident". Today (now part of CNA). Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Tan, Tam Mei (12 March 2018). "Engineer who led SMRT trainees onto tracks in 2016 fatal rail accident jailed for 4 weeks". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "SMRT to be fined S$1.9 million for Pasir Ris fatal accident, flooding". Channel NewsAsia. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "SMRT to be fined S$1.9m for two rail incidents". Today (now part of CNA). 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  8. 1 2 "2 SMRT staff dead in accident near Pasir Ris station". CNA. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Seow, Bei Yi (24 March 2016). "SMRT track accident at Pasir Ris: Trainee barely escaped as best friend was killed". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Seow, Bei Yi; Lim, Adrian; Driscoll, Shea (22 March 2016). "SMRT accident: 2 men were part of group of 15 led by supervisor and walking facing oncoming train". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Lee, Min Kok; Seow, Beiyi; Lim, Adrian (22 March 2016). "2 SMRT staff killed in accident were Singaporeans aged 24 and 26 and undergoing on-the-job training". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Paige, Vanessa (28 February 2017). "SMRT fined S$400,000 for safety lapses leading to fatal accident near Pasir Ris station". CNA. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "Online flak for SMRT after sacking of 2 staff involved in Pasir Ris accident". Today (now part of CNA). 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  14. ↑ Chong, Elena (2 December 2016). "SMRT, 2 others charged over fatal track accident". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  15. ↑ "Backgrounder: What you need to know about the fatal SMRT accident in March". Today (now part of CNA). 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  16. ↑ "Records show procedures not fully followed in fatal accident: SMRT". Today (now part of CNA). 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "LTA fines SMRT S$1.9m for fatal rail accident, tunnel flooding incident". Today (now part of CNA). 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

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