Family of deceased rig worker to receive full assistance

Teo Kok Kee died on December 30.

Sembcorp Marine issued this statement:

On 30 December 2012 at about 5.30 pm, a crew member from Belfor Asia Pte Ltd was found unconscious by his teammates on the floor in the utilities room of the rig that tilted on 3 December 2012.

At the time of the incident, the deceased Teo Kok Kee, aged 50, a Singaporean and two other fellow colleagues, all in full safety harness were performing recovery work on the floor in the utilities room. The deceased was noticed unconscious by his fellow colleagues who alerted the shipyard’s safety personnel.

He was immediately taken to the National University Hospital by an ambulance and he passed away at the hospital in the evening. The cause of his death has been certified as coronary occlusion and coronary atherosclerosis. The shipyard is presently assisting the relevant authorities in their investigations.

Belfor is a global disaster recovery and property restoration company engaged by Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong Shipyard to perform recovery work on board the rig. No construction work was carried out on the rig since 3 December 2012 except recovery work performed by SMIT Salvage and Belfor which was done in sequential stages to bring the rig to an upright position.

The management and staff of Sembcorp Marine, Jurong Shipyard and Belfor are deeply saddened by his death and will render full assistance to the family during this period of their bereavement.

Safety is a top priority at Sembcorp Marine and we have in place safety systems and risk assessment procedures by work task that all personnel in the shipyard must fully comply. Besides these, small work group toolbox meetings are carried out on a daily basis before work commencement.

We also implement compliance checks on work activities, permit-to-work system as well as procedures for safe work and PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). These safety systems and procedures are continuously reviewed and enhanced in line with best practices and industry standards.