The Workplace Safety and Health Act introduced in 2006 makes explicit the responsibility of occupiers and employers for workplace safety and health outcomes. Even though reporting of minor accidents is not required, the Act stipulates that these stakeholders are responsible for their companies' safety performance.

Employers are, therefore, expected to take note of all accidents, including minor ones and near misses. They must also thoroughly investigate root causes and take measures to prevent similar mishaps. If they do not do this, they are liable to be taken to task for similar accidents in the future.

Recent changes to the Work Injury Compensation Act will align reporting requirements with those under the Workplace Safety and Health (Incident Reporting) Regulations. This reduces compliance costs for employers. The revisions are also in line with international best practices.

However, even though employers need not report minor accidents, they are still responsible for compensating employees for work-related injuries, even for minor accidents.

Under the recently passed Work Injury Compensation Act, if employers fail to pay compensation, they are liable to be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to 12 months.

Jean Tan (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
for Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Manpower