SINGAPORE - A supermarket worker who was using a meat grinder was injured after her left arm was caught in the machine on Friday morning (March 8).

The 53-year-old woman works at a 24-hour Giant Express outlet in Bukit Batok, Chinese-language paper Shin Min Daily News reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at 284 Bukit Batok East Avenue 3, where the Giant outlet is located, at 6.21am.

The woman was taken to the National University Hospital.

The Manpower Ministry said that it is investigating the incident.

A stall owner at a nearby coffee shop, who declined to be named, told Shin Min that there were several SCDF officers at the Giant outlet when he arrived at his stall past 6am on Friday.

The Straits Times understands that the victim's left arm could not be fully extricated from the meat grinder, and she was taken to hospital with part of the machine attached to her arm.

Shin Min reported that the woman was working the night shift when the incident occurred. She suffered serious injuries and was still undergoing treatment in hospital around noon on Friday, the paper added.

When contacted, a spokesman for Dairy Farm, which manages Giant, declined to comment on the victim's condition and how the incident occurred.

"Workplace safety is our top priority," the spokesman said, adding that the company's focus is the worker's well-being.

"We take these incidents very seriously and are currently investigating this case thoroughly to establish the facts."

In 2013, a food factory worker had to have part of his left arm amputated after it got trapped in a meat grinder. He had been grinding fish to make fishballs when the incident occurred.