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March 26, 2008

SAFETY AT WORK

27 workers will be injured today

AND tomorrow. And every day after that, unless Singapore workplaces become safer.

Those with the worst injuries will lose their fingers or their hands. Now a major drive is under way to keep workers' hands safe.

Singapore's report card on workplace safety shows some improvement in accident rates last year, but also reveals these grim numbers:

63 workers died on the job last year. Most were in construction or manufacturing.

10,018 were injured - that's 27 every day, on average.

163 of the injured suffered permanent disability, mostly loss of fingers and hands.

What do en-bloc sales have to do with safety?

All those collective sales mean more demolition work - and that's been identified as an emerging danger zone.