Supervisor gets jail after worker dies from electrocution during solar panel maintenance at Singapore Expo

SINGAPORE: A supervisor was sentenced to five months’ jail on Friday (Sep 25) for negligence after a worker died from electrocution while working with solar panels on the rooftop of Singapore Expo.

The worker died after being electrocuted on Jun 12, 2023, when he picked up a damaged cable connected to solar panels on the rooftop of the building with his bare hand.

Ramalingam Kumaresan, 46, failed to train the workers from the solar panel installation team on the electrical hazards of connecting more than 20 solar panels in a series, court documents showed.

He also failed to check on the solar panels installed on the roof of Singapore Expo’s Hall 4B to ensure that not more than 20 of them were connected in a series.

Both Kumaresan and the victim worked for E-Tech Building Services as a supervisor of the solar panel installation team and a worker with the mechanical team respectively.

Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Melvyn Low asked for six to eight months’ jail for the Indian national, while his lawyer Daniel Tay from BR Law argued for three to four months’ jail for his client.

In delivering her sentence, District Judge Crystal Tan agreed with prosecution that this was a case of high harm and moderate culpability. After he was sentenced, Kumaresan asked to speak to his relatives, who were present in court on Friday, before starting his jail term.

The installation of the solar panels at Singapore Expo began on Apr 17, 2023. Two workers from the solar panel installation team installed and connected the solar panels as directed by Kumaresan, court documents said.

This concluded two days later, and on Jun 1 that year, Kumaresan told the installation team to lap and connect looping cables for all the solar panels that had been installed.

As a result, a total of 79 panels were connected in a series, court documents said.

This deviated from the string drawing provided to an electrician on the solar panel installation team, but it went undiscovered. The drawing had stipulated in colour highlighting that not more than 20 solar panels should be connected in a series.

According to court documents, Kumaresan had expected that the workers from the solar panel installation team would have known to connect the solar panels according to the string drawing. As such, he did not conduct the necessary checks. 

On Jun 12, 2023, Kumaresan instructed the victim and another colleague to perform housekeeping on the roof of Expo Halls 4 and 5. While doing so, the victim discovered that a cable from one of the solar panels was exposed and damaged, leaving a burn mark on the surface of the roof.

He informed Kumaresan about this. The supervisor visited the site and saw the worker holding the damaged end of the cable. He told the worker he would get the necessary tool to dismantle the solar panel in question.

Shortly after, the worker shouted and collapsed. He was taken to a hospital and died later that day.

Investigations found that he picked up the exposed cable with his bare hand and touched another part of the roof with his other hand, completing the electrical circuit and resulting in his electrocution. 

Those guilty of a negligent act at work that endangers the safety or health of others may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to S$30,000 (US$23,476), or both.