Inquiry Committee to be Appointed for the Fatal Accident at Stars Engrg on 24 February 2021

1. Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo will appoint an Inquiry Committee under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act to inquire into the factors that led to a fatal fire and explosion at Stars Engrg Pte Ltd on 24 February 2021. The incident has resulted in the deaths of three workers so far, with another five still in critical condition
2. The Inquiry Committee is expected to carry out a thorough study into the factors that led to the fire and explosion. It will also make recommendations including policy, regulatory or WSH measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
3. The last time an inquiry was convened for a workplace accident, was in 2004 to investigate the incident at the MRT worksite that led to the collapse of Nicoll Highway. Since then, the Ministry of Manpower has worked closely with industry stakeholders to significantly improve workplace safety and health in Singapore. Singapore’s fatal injury rate at workplaces reduced from 4.9 per 100,000 workers in 2004, to 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2019.
4. The composition of the Inquiry Committee as well as its Terms of Reference will be announced at a later date. The Inquiry Committee will be led by a district judge with two technical assessors, and its proceedings will be held in open court.