On Thursday (1 September 2022), Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) introduced a slate of new measures to strengthen workplace safety and health (WSH) and improve WSH oversight, especially in higher risk sectors.
These new measures and a six-month state of 'Heightened Safety' is needed in view of the concerning rise in workplace fatalities this year," the ministry said in a press release.
As of 1 September 2022, Singapore has recorded 36 workplace fatalities for 2022. "This is very close to the 37 fatalities recorded in the whole of 2021," MOM said.
In view of this, the ministry said it will "work together with and support companies in taking greater ownership" of WSH in the period of 'Heightened Safety', which may be extended if necessary.
For companies that fall short on safety, MOM will increase the accountability of these companies and their senior management. The ministry will implement the following measures to complement ongoing efforts:
Under the existing StartSAFE programme, SMEs have access to WSH consultants who can help companies identify WSH risks and implement good WSH practices. The costs of the WSH consultants are fully borne by MOM.
The ministry is encouraging more companies to apply for StartSAFE as a follow-up to the STO safety reviews.
Comprising representatives from key government agencies, this new taskforce will conduct sectoral deep dives into work practices and industry structures to strengthen safety practices and outcomes. The taskforce will be able to tap on ideas and advice from an external experts panel, comprising industry representatives and WSH consultants. Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Zaqy Mohamad, will chair the taskforce, and MOM will share more details on this at a later date.
MOM is urging all employers and supervisors to place the utmost priority on the safety of their workers. "All workers must also follow safety procedures, watch out for unsafe workplace practices, and bring them to the attention of supervisors and MOM.
"MOM understands that as the economy recovers, there will be pressure to meet project timelines, but safety cannot take a backseat. We will support companies who seek to strengthen workplace safety, and will not hesitate to take action against companies with serious safety lapses and those found to be at fault for major workplace injuries and deaths."
In the same vein, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong affirmed in a Facebook post that management, workers, and unions must work closely to bring down the number of workplace accidents and fatalities. "NTUC calls on all companies, big or small, to take immediate steps to carry out a comprehensive appraisal of their risk assessment and enhance risk controls at the workplace. We also urge every company to set up a WSH committee involving management, workers and unions, to work together and proactively track, review, and enhance WSH measures."
The last time MOM called for a Safety Time-Out was in May this year, when Singapore had recorded 20 workplace fatalities.
MOM ha shared the following checklist which serves to guide companies on the steps to take to review and improve WSH systems and work processes. Companies are encouraged to take additional measures beyond those listed.
This checklist, MOM added, can be applied to any industry, but also features items that focus on vehicular-related risks, as close to half of the fatal accidents in the past three months were vehicular related.
For WSH personnel and supervisors:
More details in MOM's STO circular here.
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