Japan’s Nishimatsu Construction has been fined US$74,368 by a district court in Singapore following the fatal collapse of a section of the Nicoll Highway in April 2004 which killed four engineering staff.
Nishimatsu had pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to ensure that the work site was of sound construction and properly maintained. Nishimatsu was building a section of tunnel on the Land Transport Authority’s Circle Line metro line when part of the tunnel caved in and brought down the portion of highway above.
The contractor admitted that it was largely responsible for design errors that caused the accident. A government appointed committee also said Nishimatsu’s negligence was mainly responsible and recommended that legal action be taken against the contractor and several project staff.
Three Nishimatsu executives involved in the project; design manager Kazuo Shimada, project coordinator Paul Broome, and project director Shun Sugawara are still waiting to hear whether they will be prosecuted.
