No foul play suspected in man's death after attempt to move 900kg machine

The police do not suspect foul play after an ill-fated attempt to move a nearly 900kg machine at a Rifle Range Road worksite led to the death of a 31-year-old Singaporean man in December 2022.

- Andrew Wong

During a coroner's inquiry on Nov 5 into Mr Ely Chow's workplace death, the police said Mr Chow and his colleagues were tasked to move a crimping machine from one area of the site to another.

Senior Staff Sergeant (SSS) Ng Tyan Soon testified that the group was tasked to move the machine with the help of a forklift within the site, which was occupied by ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering.

A crimping machine is generally used to attach metal fittings to hose ends by crimping them together.

SSS Ng, the investigating officer in Mr Chow's case, said that before lifting the machine with the forklift, the forklift operator had asked Mr Chow to make sure there were no obstructions as his view was blocked.

The court heard that the machine was enclosed in a box structure.