Even though this was a protection precaution listed in the running guide, SMRT acknowledged that it failed to install a pressure gauge after the repair was complete.
A director of engineering maintenance gave the order to disassemble the computer’s pressure gauge after it was discovered to be damaged in June 2018. Afterward, he overlooked how it was reinstalled.
Employees were not required to keep track of the actual pressure when running the machine.
However, according to Kimberly Boo, the counsel for the Ministry of Manpower, a measure would have shown the workers an indicator of any significant boost in force when the machine was in use.
Through the use of force vents, which would have reduced the employees ‘ subjection to force far beyond what was necessary for the computer’s intended use, SMRT likewise failed to control the machine’s maximum operating stress.
The mechanical hit machine’s maximum pressure was approximately 98 tonnes, which was more than the pressure needed to remove and install a part that was approximately 1.4 tonnes and 3. 3 tonnes, both.
Additionally, the train operator failed to check that all of the parts in the system were locked and engaged to prevent any one from being moved.
In its threat assessment from May 2018, the company had previously identified the risk of a piece falling out or shooting.
The defense counsel for SMRT asserted during sentencing arguments that the incident was an “extreme circumstance” for which the potential safeguards were not in position, not that it was the result of a blatant disregard for safety.
She emphasized SMRT’s health lifestyle, its track record of running the hydraulic press device without incident for more than 20 years, and the fact that the business had remained unaffected by work accidents for the past five years.
She added that since 2020, SMRT’s workplace injury rate has decreased significantly in Singapore’s transportation and logistics sector, reaching 648 instances for every 100, 000 workers monthly since then.
But, Ms. Boo cited five of SMRT’s prior convictions for injuries between 2010 and 2020, which together created what she called a “pattern” of insulting.
A farmer’s leg was amputated in a December 2018 incident, which also resulted in a S$ 230, 000 good, as well as a S$ 400, 000 good after two workers died in a March 2016 train accident.
According to Ms. Boo, this” created an irresistible inference” that past calls for stringent office policies and procedures were ignored, and she urged the courtroom to send a powerful signal.
Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun  stated that he considered SMRT’s prior convictions when imposing the good and that proactive security risk prevention was required for the business and its personnel.