'My dream was all gone'

Life very different for worker whose leg was mangled by fan blades

Workplace deaths and major injuries dropped to a record low in 2023. But every incident leaves a lasting impact, as a worker who was seriously injured in 2022 tells Christine Tan

By the time he turned 30 in 2022, Indian national Pitchaiah Muthupandi thought he would be married, as his parents had planned an arranged marriage for him in India.

Instead, he found himself in hospital that year, with a mangled right leg due to a work accident.

His arranged marriage was soon called off and his bride-to-be wed someone else.

"My dream was all gone," Mr Muthupandi, now 32, told The Sunday Times on March 28 at Tuas Amenity Centre, about a 10-minute drive from his workplace. Workers usually eat and buy their daily necessities there.

He added: "(Before the accident), I felt my job was going onto the next level. But it all stopped. My life stopped too."

The Indian national came to Singapore in 2016 and worked as a technician.

He joined his current firm in August 2021 as a service engineer, repairing motors and generators.

On Aug 8, 2022, Mr Muthupandi and a colleague were testing an industrial fan at their workplace. The fan's six to eight blades spanned about Im each, and its total weight was around 250kg.

Suddenly, the spinning fan which was not bolted properly spun out of the casing and hurtled towards Mr Muthupandi, who was standing several metres away. He tried to run, but the fan's blades hit his right leg.