A horrific industrial accident claimed the life of a 27-year-old factory worker in Piliyandala, on the outskirts of Colombo, last Wednesday. Milinda Madusanka Wijesinghe was killed instantly when a printing machine he was inspecting suddenly malfunctioned and trapped his head.
The deceased, a married man whose wife also worked at the same printing plant, was reportedly troubleshooting a faulty unit with a colleague at the time of the tragedy. CCTV footage from the facility shows the two men standing on opposite sides of the equipment when the machine, which was supposed to be stationary, unexpectedly roared to life.
Caught off guard by the sudden mechanical movement, Wijesinghe was unable to pull away in time. His head was crushed by the heavy internal components, causing him to collapse immediately. Horrified coworkers rushed to his aid and transported him to a nearby hospital, but medical professionals confirmed he had succumbed to severe cranial trauma.
Local police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the workplace fatality. Authorities are currently examining whether standard safety protocols, such as “lock-out, tag-out” procedures, were followed during the maintenance work.
Investigators are also looking into potential mechanical or electrical failures that could have caused the automated system to bypass safety overrides.
