SINGAPORE ―  A equipment calibration and testing company was fined S$200,000 after it was convicted of lapses which resulted in the fatal electrocution of an employee five years ago at Pantech Business Hub.

MW Group had failed to "conduct a specific risk assessment and establish safe work procedures for the calibration and testing of an Arc Reflection System (ARS) machine prior to the accident", said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Jan 19).

According to investigations by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), MW Group had conducted a generic risk assessment for electrical testing prior to the accident on Nov 7, 2013. And despite the fact that electrocution was identified as a hazard during the assessment, no control measures were put in place to prevent the "reasonable foreseeable risk".

MOM said that technicians working that day were not aware of any risk assessment, safe work procedures or any other control measures to protect them from electrocution.

"The employer knew that the technicians were exposed to the risk of electrocution and yet failed to provide the technicians with a step by step guide on how to do the job safely," said Mr Chan Yew Kwong, MOM Director of Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate.

The deceased, Suyambu Suman, was holding a high voltage probe while testing and calibrating the machine from 2kV upwards to 12kV. As the DC output voltage level of the machine gradually built up to 12kV, the "potential difference between the deceased's body and the grip assembly may have exceeded the electric breakdown strength of the air gap, causing a flashover", the MOM said.

The flashover caused Suyambu to fall backwards unconscious, and he was later pronounced dead on the same day. "The certified cause of death was consistent with electrocution," said the ministry.

Concluding its findings, the EMA said that "no proper test fixtures were set up before the commencement of the high voltage calibration works". A safe working distance of 1.5 metres was also not maintained between the deceased and the live terminals, it added.

Correction: In an earlier version of the story, we described MW Group as a construction and mechanical engineering company. This is incorrect. MW Group is a equipment calibration and testing company. We are sorry for the error.