PUTRAJAYA, June 23 — The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) is investigating 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 appropriate action would be taken against any party found to have failed to comply with required procedures, including Air Selangor or a SPAN permit holder.
SPAN said any infringement of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) or relevant subsidiary legislation would be subject to the appropriate enforcement action.
“SPAN's checks found that the contractor responsible for the cleaning and 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 before safety verification had been completed.
“However, the determination of the actual cause will be subject to the official investigation and final report issued by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),” the statement said.
SPAN said it viewed the incident with utmost seriousness as it resulted in a loss of life.
The commission said it was informed of the incident on June 17 and visited the site the following day. Routine water tank cleaning had been carried out on June 16 by the appointed vendor.
“During the incident, the water level in the tank was reported 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.
SPAN added that emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered, but the victim was pronounced 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 by SPAN, Air Selangor and DOSH to establish the cause of the incident.
“DOSH said the final report would be published upon the completion of the formal investigation. Workplace safety and health remain the top priority during maintenance work to prevent similar incidents in the future,” it said.
SPAN said further improvements would be prioritised to strengthen compliance with safety protocols, confined-space work supervision, contractor management and on-site risk controls.
Media reports previously stated that a Universiti Putra Malaysia student undergoing industrial training died while carrying out maintenance work at the Saujana Perdana water tower tank, with drowning confirmed as the cause of death.
