SPAN investigates drowning of maintenance worker at Saujana Perdana tower, safety checks under spotlight

PUTRAJAYA, June 23 — The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) is conducting investigations into a fatal accident involving a maintenance worker at the Saujana 1 water tower in Kuala Selangor on June 16.

In a statement today, the commission said any party found to have failed to comply with required procedures, including Air Selangor or a SPAN permit holder, would face appropriate action.

Any infringement of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) or relevant subsidiary legislation will be subject to appropriate action, SPAN said.

“SPAN’s checks found that the contractor responsible for the cleaning or maintenance works was registered with the commission and held a valid permit.

“Initial findings suggest there may have been non-compliance with confined-space safety procedures, including workers entering the site without approval and prior to safety verification.

“However, the determination of the actual cause will be subject to the official probe and final report issued by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),” read the statement.

SPAN said it views the incident with utmost seriousness, given that it resulted in a loss of life.

The commission said it received information on the incident on June 17 and visited the site the following day, adding that routine water tank cleaning was conducted on June 16 by the appointed vendor. 

“During the incident, the water level in the tank was said to be at waist level, with two workers encountering difficulties near a 200mm scour point.

“One of them was rescued, while the other was reported to have become trapped in the area,” it said, adding that emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered, but the victim was confirmed dead before being taken to UiTM Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

“The initial cause of death was identified as drowning. DOSH conducted a site inspection on June 17, 2026, and issued a prohibition notice. A joint follow-up visit was carried out on June 18 June by SPAN, Air Selangor and DOSH to establish the cause of the incident.

“DOSH said the final report would be published after the conclusion of the formal investigation. Safety and health in the workplace remain the primary priority during maintenance work to prevent similar incidents in the future,” it said.

SPAN said further enhancements would be prioritised to strengthen adherence to safety protocols, confined-space work supervision, contractor management and on-site risk control.

Media reports cited that a Universiti Putra Malaysia student on industrial training died while carrying out maintenance work at the Saujana Perdana water tower tank, with drowning confirmed as the cause of death. — Bernama