This means companies in these sectors will have to log all accidents - including minor ones and near misses - investigate root causes and be able to show that measures have been taken to prevent similar mishaps.

If a worker is admitted to hospital, or is given medical leave of three days or more, the employer has to report it to the Commissioner of Workplace Safety and Health.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Manpower) Hawazi Daipi announced the move on Monday, while touring a King Albert Park McDonald's outlet, which has a workplace safety programme in place.

The new rules affect businesses in the hotels and food and beverage, healthcare, veterinary medicine, water and waste management, transport, and landscape care and maintenance sectors.

A person found breaking the rules once could face a fine of up to $200,000, two years jail, or both.

The company can also be fined up to $500,000 for first time offences.

Right now, the law only covers construction, shipbuilding and manufacturing, requiring them to report accidents, including deaths, dangerous occurences and occupational diseases such as workplace-induced hearing loss.

But such rules will eventually be rolled out to cover all workplaces by 2011, said an MOM spokesman.

A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman explained that the six industries were picked for the first phase because they have higher accident rates and more potential hazards than other service industries.

WSHA emphasises the importance of managing workplace safety and health proactively by requiring both employers and workers to ensure the safety and health of those affected by the work being carried out.

Cases involving 'less serious' injury at the workplace went up by 20 per cent to 4,743 in the first half of last year - with about a quarter from transport and storage, wholesale and retail, and hotels and restaurants.

Metalwork and petrochemical industries accounted for 10 workplace deaths between January and June 2007, compared to just two for the whole of 2006.

In contrast, six people died at construction sites in the first half of last year, while 11 had died in the same period of 2006.

But workplace injuries went up by 19 per cent to 4,839, from 4,070.

There were also 25 work-related deaths in all, according to the Workplace Safety and Health Advisory Committee.

Already this year, two persons have been killed in construction related incidents.