SINGAPORE – The inquiry committee into the fatal Tuas explosion that killed three workers in February will hold public hearings from Monday (Sept 20).
The first set of hearings until Oct 8 will focus on the “causes and circumstances” of the accident, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said in a statement on Thursday.
The ministry said that it has investigated the accident and a team of state counsels will present the findings at the hearing.
The investigation included “visiting the site and gathering evidence, identifying and interviewing key witnesses, and commissioning forensic testing and expert simulations for machineries and materials involved in the accident”, the MOM said.
Witnesses and experts are expected to testify.
Members of the public can attend the hearings that will be held from 10am to 5pm at Court 8A of the State Courts on these days: Sept 20 to 24, Sept 27 to Oct 1, and Oct 4 to Oct 8.
However, capacity in the court will be limited due to safe management measures, and the dates and timings may change, added the ministry.
Ten workers were injured in the accident on Feb 24. Three people later died from their injuries. The last injured worker was discharged from hospital in June.
The inquiry committee is chaired by Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun. He is assisted by Mr Lucas Ng, Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore general manager of plant, and Dr Peter Nagler, chief innovation officer at Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
MOM added that a second tranche of public hearings will be held from Nov 15 to 19 to review recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such accidents.
More details on the second tranche of hearings will be announced at a later date.
