Safety lapses led to death of trainer at Police Coast Guard HQ

Multiple safety lapses led to the death of a Police Coast Guard (PCG) trainer, who fell into the water and was struck by the propeller of a safety craft.

Coroner Christopher Goh said this in his report dated June 21.

Mr Ong Siang Thai was the conducting officer of a dive training session on July 20, 2022, which was held at the PCG’s headquarters at Brani Base.

The incident happened as the 56-year-old was preparing the safety craft and loading diving equipment onto the craft. The trainees were nearby and readying their dive gear.

Mr Ong’s colleague, Mr Melvin Tan, saw the trainer in a half-squat position and cranking the engine of the outboard motor of the safety craft.

This was less than ideal for balance compared to a seated position, said the coroner. But he added that the final position when cranking the engine is up to the person steering the boat.

At some point, there was an over-throttling of the engine, which caused the craft to jerk. Mr Tan saw Mr Ong lose his balance and footage captured by the closed-circuit television (CCTV) system showed him falling backwards into the water.

The footage also showed the craft hitting the wall of a pontoon and circling back towards Mr Ong. He was then seen swimming towards the oncoming craft, which went over him.

The trainees, who were in a nearby hangar, heard the loud revving of the engine and Mr Tan’s shout for help. They rushed out and saw him in the safety craft with a body floating beside it.

Several officers then jumped into the water and found Mr Ong stuck to the boat’s propeller. A knife, which was found on Mr Ong, was used to cut him free.

He was still breathing but had suffered numerous wounds on his body.

The officers pulled Mr Ong out of the water and carried him to the hangar. A medic, who was undergoing a different course nearby, tried to resuscitate him.

There were deep cuts across his mouth that extended to the neck region, and he had multiple cuts across his chest.

At about 11.30am, the police were informed and a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulance arrived soon after.

By then, Mr Ong was not breathing and no pulse could be detected. His skin was cool to the touch.

At about 11.45am, the SCDF paramedic pronounced him dead.

An autopsy was conducted the next day and the cause of death was certified as haemorrhage from chest and facial injuries with drowning.

Coroner Goh noted that Mr Ong, who was considered a competent and experienced diver, was previously a regular with the Singapore Armed Forces, and had served his entire career with the Naval Diving Unit.

At the time of the incident, he was employed by consultancy services and training firm Citadelle, which was contracted to provide dive training for PCG trainees.

The cororner said no foul play was suspected in Mr Ong’s death, and highlighted that police and Ministry of Manpower investigations concluded that the circumstances that led to it were likely contributed by several safety lapses.

Among other things, Mr Ong had failed to attach a kill cord to himself. According to boating websites, the cord works by deactivating a craft’s engine when the pilot is separated from the boat.

Coroner Goh agreed with the agencies’ findings.

He highlighted that the danger of not attaching the kill cord was more obvious in an enclosed space, where there was a higher likelihood of a craft hitting the person in the water.

He also noted that Mr Ong was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.

The coroner ruled his death as an unfortunate misadventure.