A foreign worker who had just arrived to work in Singapore for a week had two of his fingers sliced off in a worksite accident wholly attributable to the negligence of his employer. In a compensation claim against his employer Zhong Jiang (S) International, the worker was awarded $92,000.
The circular saw was a dangerous tool that should not have been used to cut wood. In addition, no safety googles had been issued to Mr Cai, and the accident had occurred when some wood particles flew into his eyes. The middle and ring fingers of his left hand were sliced off, and later reattached. However, he still has difficulty doing ordinary tasks like buttoning his shirt. Crucially, he cannot work as a carpenter anymore. Mr Cai had been working as a carpenter since he was 17 years old, for over fifteen years.
In a written judgment by District Judge Foo Tuat Yien after a three-day trial, the Court found that there had been no contributory negligence on the part of Mr Cai.
