These codes cover such areas as scaffolds and the use of forklifts.

Members of the council will include industry representatives from such sectors as construction, petrochemicals and logistics. It will also have representatives from the public sector, unions and academia.

The composition will put it in a better position to issue these codes, said Minister of State (Manpower and Education) Gan Kim Yong yesterday.

'With intimate knowledge of the constraints and challenges on the ground, industry leaders represented on the council are better placed to guide the development of 'reasonably practicable' measures that stakeholders can implement to reduce and manage risk.'

Mr Gan was speaking during the second reading of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (Amendment) Bill, which was given the nod later by Parliament.

Currently, the codes are determined by the Manpower Ministry's commissioner of workplace safety and health.

The chairman of the new council, Mr Lee Tzu Yang, said it will need industry support to put in place safe practices and raise overall standards.

'The new council will adopt new ways to reach out to the entire stakeholder chain, from the CEO to the worker on the ground,' he added in a statement. Mr Lee is chairman of the Shell group of companies in Singapore.

Besides this Bill, Parliament also passed the Internationally Protected Persons Bill.

It allows Singapore to ratify an international convention on terrorism, thus giving it a bigger role in protecting world leaders and foreign ministers.

Called the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, it was adopted by the United Nations in 1973.

The pact requires signatories to criminalise such acts as the intentional murder, kidnapping or any other attack on 'internationally protected persons'.

Such persons include heads of state, foreign affairs ministers, state or international organisation representatives entitled to special protection in a foreign country and their accompanying family members.

A new Bill was also introduced in the House yesterday - the Economic Development Board (Amendment) Bill.

It seeks to give the Economic Development Board greater flexibility to explore new businesses and industries. MPs will first debate the Bill's contents when it is read for a second time at a separate Parliament sitting.