SINGAPORE: An eldercare company in Singapore has been fined S$7,000 following the death of a 76-year-old client, Hassan Mohamed Karchi Arsan Osman.
On 3 June 2025, Active Global Respite Care was convicted under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failing to implement adequate control measures and safe work procedures.
Hassan died after falling backwards in his wheelchair from a van’s wheelchair lift. He struck his head on the ground and succumbed to a head injury later that night.
Fatal incident occurred during routine transport
The incident occurred on 3 February 2021 at about 4.40pm. Hassan was waiting at a daycare centre’s pick-up point to be taken home.
He was being assisted by healthcare assistant Moe Thadar, 49, and van driver Kwa Kim Seng, 67—both employees of Active Global.
As Moe wheeled Hassan onto the platform at the rear of the van, she failed to engage the brakes on his wheelchair.
After positioning the wheelchair, she walked away and informed Kwa by saying, “Uncle, hold,” indicating that Hassan was ready for the lift.
Kwa began raising the lift while holding the wheelchair and talking to a colleague. Just before the platform reached the van floor level, he released his grip.
The healthcare assistant inside the van had not yet secured the wheelchair. It rolled backwards off the lift and Hassan’s head struck the ground.
He was unconscious when taken to hospital and died that same night from the injury.
Previous fines issued to employees involved
Kwa and Moe were each fined S$10,000 for their respective roles in the incident.
The company faced a single charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, with a second charge taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court found that Active Global failed to implement safe work procedures or a proper risk assessment for the use of the wheelchair lift.
During proceedings, prosecutor Kimberly Boo from the Ministry of Manpower noted that the company had no formal written protocols.
Instead, employees were trained through a verbal chain of communication and observation, which resulted in inconsistent handling of wheelchair users.
“There were inconsistencies in handling wheelchair users on wheelchair lifts,” she said, pointing out that newer staff were taught based on memory.
Defence argues incident was isolated and unprecedented
Defence lawyers Gloria James-Civetta and Noelle Teoh argued that Active Global had a clean safety record prior to the incident.
They acknowledged the high level of harm but maintained the company’s culpability was low due to the lack of prior incidents and general compliance.
“The incident was an isolated and unprecedented occurrence that tragically resulted in the passing of the late Mr Hassan,” they told the court.
They added that safety protocols were in place but not followed in this instance.
Company accepted responsibility and took remedial actions
In mitigation, the lawyers said the company had fully cooperated with the authorities and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Since the incident, Active Global has increased staffing at pick-up and drop-off points to enhance safety.
They also implemented weekly checks to ensure adherence to standard operating procedures.
Non-compliant staff now receive stern warnings and retraining.
The court took into account that the company had no previous convictions under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Judge noted that the company’s post-incident response included concrete steps to plug gaps in its operations and employee training.
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