The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has launched an investigation into a fatal incident involving a maintenance worker at the Saujana 1 water tower in Kuala Selangor that claimed the life of a university student undergoing industrial training.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, SPAN said any party found to have failed to comply with established safety procedures, including permit holders registered with Air Selangor or the commission itself, could face enforcement action.
The commission stressed that any breach of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 or its related regulations would be dealt with accordingly once investigations are completed.
According to SPAN, preliminary checks confirmed that the contractor appointed to carry out the cleaning and maintenance works, Myda Risk & Safety Sdn Bhd, was properly registered with the commission and held a valid operating permit.
However, initial findings indicated possible non-compliance with confined-space safety requirements, including allegations that workers entered the tank area without approval and before mandatory safety verifications had been completed.
Despite the early findings, SPAN said the exact cause of the incident will only be determined after the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) completes its official investigation and releases its final report.
The commission revealed that routine cleaning of the water tank was being conducted on June 16 when the incident occurred. During the operation, the water level inside the tank was reportedly at waist height.
Two workers were said to have encountered difficulties near a 200mm scour point inside the tank. One worker was successfully rescued, while the other became trapped.
Emergency responders administered CPR at the scene, but the victim was pronounced dead before being transported to UiTM Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Initial findings identified drowning as the cause of death. The victim was later reported to be a Universiti Putra Malaysia student who was undergoing industrial training at the time of the incident.
DOSH conducted an inspection at the site on June 17 and subsequently issued a prohibition notice. A joint follow-up investigation involving SPAN, Air Selangor and DOSH was carried out the following day to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Workplace safety remains a major concern, particularly for confined-space operations, which are widely regarded as among the most hazardous maintenance tasks due to the risks of entrapment, drowning and limited escape routes.
SPAN said additional measures would be prioritised moving forward, including stricter supervision of confined-space work, enhanced contractor management, tighter compliance monitoring and improved on-site risk controls to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
