What specific safety lapses led to the fatal Tuas explosion?

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Specific Safety Lapses Led to the Fatal Tuas Explosion

A fatal explosion and fire at a Tuas industrial plant on February 24 last year, which resulted in three worker fatalities and seven injuries, occurred primarily due to the operating company's, Stars Engrg, failure to ensure the safe use of a mixer machine. The inquiry committee found that excessive pressure on the machine's oil jacket led to mechanical failure and a rupture of welds, a critical factor in the incident.
Company's Dereliction of Duty and Inadequate Safety Investigations

Stars Engrg was found to have failed in its duty to ensure the safe operation of the mixer machine, which was used to produce fire clay for insulation wrap. The company allegedly did not properly investigate previous incidents and permitted the machine to continue functioning despite clear warning signs, including oil leaks and fires. These oversights contributed to the hazardous conditions that ultimately led to the explosion.
Director's Insufficient Knowledge and Improper Commissioning of Equipment

The company's director, Chua Xing Da, is implicated for installing and commissioning the mixer machine without possessing adequate knowledge of its safe operational parameters. Despite this lack of expertise, he was responsible for instructing workers on its use. Furthermore, Stars Engrg is accused of failing to ensure that its employees received sufficient training and supervision for operating the heated mixer machine.
Production Manager's Negligent Actions and Obstruction of Justice

Production manager Lwin Moe Tun faces charges for allegedly allowing repairs on a damaged heater component of the mixer machine, a negligent act that endangered employees. In a separate charge related to obstruction of justice, he is accused of deleting WhatsApp messages and a photograph between himself and a deceased worker. This deleted material reportedly showed unsafe practices concerning the changing of a faulty heater, constituting evidence of an offence under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Experts had previously indicated that the mixer machine's heaters might have reached temperatures as high as 1,095ºC.

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What specific safety lapses led to the fatal Tuas explosion?

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