Investigation into Cause of Explosion at Audi Service Centre at 55 Ubi Road 1

28 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower with regard to the 7 March 2023 explosion at the Audi service centre at 55 Ubi Road 1 (a) whether the Ministry is investigating any possible unsafe workplace practices that led to the explosion; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry can provide a timeline on when investigations will be completed.

Dr Tan See Leng: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), together with the Building and Construction Authority and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, are investigating the explosion. This will likely take a few months to conclude. MOM will take action against those responsible, including prosecuting them, if wrongdoing is found.

In the meantime, MOM has instructed Premium Automobiles Pte Ltd to cease all work involving the use, handling, collection, storage and disposal of automotive oils and fluids at the workshop and to appoint a workplace safety and health auditor to review their workplace safety and health management system. MOM will be sending a Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) alert via the WSH Council’s Bulletin and the relevant Trade Associations and Chambers, to remind workshops on the safe use and handling of automotive oils and fluids. MOM will also share the key learning points from the incident with the industry when ready.