PSA and MOM both file appeals over 2017 crane death of worker at Keppel Terminal

Both port operator PSA Singapore and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have filed appeals over the sentence handed down to the company following the 2017 death of one of its employees at Keppel Terminal, according to local media reports.

PSA was fined S$225,000 (US$175,000) after being convicted under the Workplace Safety and Health Act on Monday, 16 March 2026, for failing to ensure the safety and health of its employees. The conviction followed a 33-day trial at the State Courts.

Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun convicted the company on one charge of failing to take the necessary measures to protect its workers. PSA was sentenced on Thursday, 4 June 2026, and paid the fine in full by the deadline of Friday, 12 June 2026.

The company filed its appeal against both the conviction and the sentence on Friday, 5 June 2026. MOM, which investigates industrial accidents, filed a separate appeal against the sentence on Monday, 15 June 2026.

During sentencing proceedings, MOM prosecutor Delvinder Singh had sought a fine of between S$300,000 and S$350,000. A corporation found guilty of this offence can be fined up to S$500,000.

The death occurred on Wednesday, 20 September 2017. At around 10am, technical specialist Lee Swee Loong, 33, instructed his colleague, Mohammad Iqbal Buang, to operate and move a Mitsui rubber tyred gantry (RTG) crane at varying speeds.

Lee, a Singaporean, was observing the crane's gearbox and hoist system to identify the source of abnormal noises. He was carrying out checks on a faulty gearbox at the time.

While the crane was being moved, Iqbal saw a black object drop from the trolley platform, located above the operator's cabin. Sensing that something was wrong, he immediately stopped and powered down the crane.

Iqbal then attempted to contact Lee by walkie-talkie but received no response. When he climbed up to the trolley platform, he found Lee lodged between the rope drum and a platform next to the motor housing where the gearbox was located.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at around 10.20am. It deployed a fire engine, a Red Rhino, an ambulance and three support vehicles to the scene.

Lee was pronounced dead at the scene by SCDF paramedics. His body was brought down from the crane by SCDF together with PSA's in-house emergency team.

An autopsy report found that he had suffered multiple injuries consistent with being crushed between rotating machinery.

Court documents stated that PSA had failed to effectively implement control measures to prevent its employees from being exposed to rotating parts during maintenance work. The company also failed to implement safe work procedures for maintenance work on the crane.

In court, the prosecution argued that the risk of harm arising from employees being exposed to rotating parts during maintenance was "reasonably foreseeable".

Singh said PSA knew technical specialists such as Lee regularly accessed the 23cm-wide, oil-stained platform on the crane, and that this was the only place from which they could properly inspect the gearbox.

He argued that the company did not provide specific procedures for the unique crane layout, nor adequate control measures to prevent exposure to rotating parts.

"Instead, PSA relied on generic procedures covering three different crane models that forced employees to improvise dangerous methods daily," the prosecutor said.

According to Singh, PSA vice-president Phinehas Tan, who testified at the trial, confirmed that Lee took safety seriously and had no record of unsafe work throughout his tenure with the operator.

"The tragic irony that someone so committed to safety died due to his employer's safety failures makes this case particularly egregious and PSA's culpability more pronounced," the prosecutor said.

In his written address on sentencing, Singh said the death was entirely preventable. "This tragic and entirely preventable death occurred because PSA systematically failed in its fundamental duty as an employer to ensure the safety and health of its employees at work," he said.

In a statement, a PSA Singapore spokesperson said the company had fully assisted the investigating authorities following the incident.

"Ensuring the safety, health and welfare of persons at work is fundamental to everything we do, and workplace safety is of paramount importance at our premises," the spokesperson said.

"We deeply regret the incident and extend our sincere condolences to the family of our deceased colleague."

At the time of the incident in 2017, PSA said it was rendering assistance to the family of the deceased and cooperating with the authorities in their investigations. The Keppel facility operated 37 quay cranes, according to the port operator's website then.