新加坡：验尸庭周五（10月2日）获悉，两名工人在未佩戴呼吸防护器、也未遵守安全规程的情况下，进入PUB蔡厝港水厂的一条封闭通道，并因吸入有毒气体死亡。
SINGAPORE: Two workers who died after inhaling toxic gas entered an enclosed passage at PUB’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks without respirators and without following safety protocol, the coroner’s court heard on Friday (Oct 2).
斯里尼瓦桑·西瓦拉曼先生和伊扎特·纳基丁·达瓦德先生于2024年5月因吸入硫化氢死亡。这种气体是水处理过程中产生的副产品。第三名工人在这起事件中幸存。硫化氢是一种无色、有毒气体，高浓度下可致命。
Mr Srinivasan Sivaraman and Mr Izzat Naqiuddin Dowod died in May 2024 after inhaling hydrogen sulphide, a by-product of the water treatment process. A third worker survived the incident. Hydrogen sulphide is a colourless, toxic gas that can be fatal at high concentrations.
人力部（MOM）职业安全与健康司检查员穆德·哈菲兹周五出庭作证称，这些工人未能确保至少有一人留在封闭通道外。
Mr Muhd Hafidz, an inspector with the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) occupational safety and health division, testified in court on Friday that the workers did not ensure that at least one person remained outside the enclosed passage.
与其他前一天曾进入通道排放水箱积水的工人不同，这三名男子没有佩戴用于过滤有毒气体的呼吸防护器。哈菲兹先生还告诉法庭，他的调查发现，通道内虽有一台通风机，但事发时并未运行。
Unlike other workers who had entered the passage the day before to drain the tank, the three men did not wear respirators, which are designed to filter out toxic gases. His investigations also found that while there was a ventilator in the passage, it was not in operation at the time, he told the court.
据该检查员称，按照安全规程，本应在通道外设置通风机，以置换通道内的空气。工人进入前，通道并未通风。
According to the inspector, an external ventilator should have been set up to purge the air as part of safety protocol. The passage was not ventilated before the workers entered.
40岁的印度籍男子西瓦拉曼先生是Supersonic Maintenance Services的清洁运营经理。24岁的马来西亚男子伊扎特先生就职于Stargroup。PUB已委托Stargroup在该设施开展“例行”水箱清洁作业，并由Supersonic Maintenance Services担任分包商。
Mr Sivaraman, a 40-year-old Indian national, was a cleaning operations manager at Supersonic Maintenance Services. Mr Izzat, a 24-year-old Malaysian, worked for Stargroup. Stargroup had been engaged by PUB for "routine" tank cleaning operations at the plant, with Supersonic Maintenance Services as its subcontractor.
7月，Stargroup因涉嫌在这起事件中存在工作场所安全隐患而遭控告，未能采取合理可行的措施，将可能受其作业影响的任何人在工作场所面临的风险降至最低。
Stargroup was charged in July over alleged workplace safety lapses related to the incident – for failing to implement reasonably practicable measures to minimise the risk to any person who may be affected by its undertaking at the workplace.
Stargroup获授权签发密闭空间进入许可证的经理林明福，也因在签发许可证方面未能尽到一切应尽的职责而遭控告。
Stargroup’s authorised manager for confined space entry permits, Lim Beng Hock, was also charged with failing to exercise all due diligence in relation to the issuance of the permits.
西瓦拉曼先生和伊扎特先生是负责清洁 PUB 污水处理厂内一个储罐的团队成员。
Mr Sivaraman and Mr Izzat were part of a team scheduled to clean a tank at PUB's treatment plant.
哈菲兹先生表示，他们必须进入储罐下方的封闭通道，排空其中的水，然后才能进行清洁。
They had to enter the enclosed passage beneath the tank to drain the water in it before they could clean it, said Mr Hafidz.
检查员称，伊扎特先生和另一名工人穿过闸门，打开全部三个手动阀门，而西瓦拉曼先生则站在附近外部，符合安全规程所要求的“伙伴制度”。他们均未佩戴呼吸器，阀门在五分钟内顺利打开，未发生任何意外。
Mr Izzat and another worker went through the gate to open all three hand valves while Mr Sivaraman stood outside nearby, in line with the buddy system required by safety protocol. None of them were wearing respirators and the valves were opened within five minutes without incident, the inspector said.
检查员称，西瓦拉曼先生在两名工人进入通道前进行了气体检测，使用的个人气体检测仪未发出警报。
Mr Sivaraman conducted a gas check before the two workers entered the passage, using a personal gas detector that did not sound an alarm, the inspector said.
哈菲兹先生作证称，当三个阀门全部打开时，废水很可能“相当迅速”地流出，这可能加速了硫化氢的释放。
Mr Hafidz testified that with all three valves open, the wastewater was likely to have been flowing out "quite rapidly", which could have accelerated the release of hydrogen sulphide.
打开阀门后，工人们返回到通道上方的储罐继续清洁工作。法庭获悉，上午10点左右，来自 PUB 另一家承包商的工人告诉西瓦拉曼先生，废水正迅速流入下一个储罐，并且他闻到了强烈的腐臭味。
After opening the valves, the workers returned to cleaning the tank above the passage. At about 10am, a worker from another PUB contractor told Mr Sivaraman that the wastewater was flowing rapidly into the next tank and that he had detected a strong rotten smell, the court heard.
检查员作证称，西瓦拉曼先生指示一名员工带人返回通道并关闭阀门。
Mr Sivaraman instructed an employee to bring someone, go back to the passage and close the valves, the inspector testified.
他还证实，关于西瓦拉曼先生下达的任何有关设备的指令，目前尚未查明任何具体内容。
He also confirmed that nothing had been established about any instructions given by Mr Sivaraman about equipment.
第三名工人和伊扎特先生均未佩戴呼吸器便进入了封闭通道。检查员称，伊扎特先生佩戴了个人气体检测仪。
The third worker and Mr Izzat both entered the enclosed passage without respirators. Mr Izzat was wearing a personal gas detector, the inspector said.
他补充说，他个人气体检测仪上的警报，以及安装在通道周围的警报器，当时都在鸣响。哈菲兹先生说，这表明环境存在危险，但他们仍然进入了通道。
The alarm on his personal gas detector, as well as the ones mounted around the passage, were sounding, he added. This indicated a hazardous environment, but they went into the passage nonetheless, Mr Hafidz said.
当国家验尸官亚当·纳霍达进行质询时，检查员确认，两名工人本不应同时进入通道，其中一人应留在外面。
When questioned by State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, the inspector confirmed that the workers should not have both entered the passage – one of them should have remained outside.
根据第三名工人的证词，哈菲兹先生表示，该工人和伊扎特进入通道后倒地。
Citing the third worker’s account of the incident, Mr Hafidz said the worker and Mr Izzat entered the passage and collapsed.
哈菲兹先生表示，调查人员无法确定上午10点30分至上午11点左右三名男子被发现期间发生了什么。
Mr Hafidz said investigators could not establish what happened between 10.30am and about 11am, when the three men were discovered.
他作证称，西瓦拉曼先生可能稍后进入通道查看工人情况或尝试施救，随后被毒气呛倒。
He testified that Mr Sivaraman likely entered the passage later to check on the workers or attempt a rescue, before being overcome by the gas.
三名男子在通道内被发现昏迷不醒。获救后他们被送往医院，西瓦拉曼先生和伊扎特先生在那里去世。
The three men were found unconscious in the passage. After they were rescued, they were taken to hospital, where Mr Sivaraman and Mr Izzat died.
事发后，公用事业局将Stargroup列入黑名单，禁止其从2024年8月起竞标该局任何项目，为期18个月。
After the incident, PUB blacklisted Stargroup, barring it from tendering for any of its projects for 18 months from August 2024.
人力部也向公用事业局发出停工令，涵盖预处理水箱的清洗工作以及进入水箱相邻密闭空间的作业。该命令于2024年8月6日解除，此前公用事业局已满足规定条件。
MOM also issued PUB a stop-work order covering cleaning work on pre-treatment water tanks and entry into confined spaces adjacent to the tanks. The order was lifted on Aug 6, 2024, after PUB satisfied the stipulated conditions.