Bangladeshi worker struck by steel beam at Tuas shipyard warehouse, dies

A Bangladeshi worker died on Feb 26 after he was struck on the head by a steel beam.

It happened while he was repairing a cargo lift at a warehouse in Tuas South owned by offshore and marine company Seatrium.

The worker, identified by his cousin as Mr Tanvir Hasan Khan, 44, was dismantling the guide rail for the cargo lift's door when a connected steel beam dislodged and hit him.

The accident happened at about 3.50pm on Feb 26, and Mr Khan was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at about 4.55pm at 80 Tuas South Boulevard, the address of Seatrium's Tuas Boulevard Yard.

The police, who were alerted at about 4.50pm, said Mr Khan was found motionless. A copy of his death certificate seen by The Straits Times lists the cause of death as extensive cranio-cerebral injuries, which means injuries to both the skull and brain.

MOM said Mr Khan was employed by a company named Gylet Project (S). The company managing the lift repair work at the Seatrium warehouse is Gylet Lift (M&S).

According to Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records, Gylet Project (S), Gylet Lift (M&S), as well as a third company, Gylet Elevator, all share the same registered address and have the same person listed as director.

MOM said it is investigating, and Gylet Lift (M&S) has been told to stop all lift maintenance work.

"As a general safety measure, employers and contractors must assess the stability of the structure and adequately prop or support all potentially unstable parts before dismantling it," the ministry added.

The police said no foul play is suspected.

Mr Khan, who had been working in Singapore for the same company since 2007, leaves a 10-year-old daughter and four-month-old son, said his cousin, who also works in Singapore.

The cousin, who did not want to be named, said Mr Khan's final rites are being performed at a mosque here and his body is expected to be sent back to his home town - a village in the Tangail District in central Bangladesh - on March 2.

A Seatrium spokesperson said the firm has extended its deepest sympathies to Mr Khan's family, and is providing assistance to them.

"The safety and well-being of everyone on our site is of paramount importance to us, and we are conducting a thorough investigation of this incident," the company added. "Out of respect for the family and the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide further details."

ST has contacted Gylet Elevator for comment.

This is the third fatal workplace accident to be reported in the media so far in 2025.

On Jan 2, construction worker Aridosalu Arulraj, 29, from India, was killed after he was struck in the chest by the hose of a concrete pump truck at a Housing Board worksite in Tengah.

On Jan 25, a Bangladeshi worker, 31, died at a construction site in Raffles Place, where Clifford Centre once stood, after the ground beneath him gave way.

In the first half of 2024, 19 workers died in work-related accidents, up from 14 in the same period in 2023.

MOM has not released the full-year figures for 2024 yet, but in December 2024, it reported 15 work-related deaths in the construction sector in the second half of 2024, up from five in the first half.