THE ACCIDENT
Mr Rahman first came to Singapore in 2015, after spending about S$16,000 on fees to secure work at a landscaping company.
In July 2016, then 21, he was instructed to clean an underground water tank near Sungei Tengah after a day of pruning trees.
Mr Rahman said he initially refused, but relented after his supervisor threatened to report him to his boss, who could send him home.
At the time, he was in debt and earning a basic monthly salary of S$540.
“I was afraid,” Mr Rahman said. “However hard the work is, even if I wanted to rest, I could not, because I had to keep the job.”
When he switched on a light in the tank, an explosion ripped through it. He spent three months in a coma and six months in hospital undergoing treatment, including skin grafts and reconstructive procedures.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that his employer had not conducted a risk assessment or put in place safe work procedures for cleaning the tank. Workers were also not adequately trained or informed about the risks of working in a confined space.
The company was fined S$220,000 in 2019.
