AI-enabled CCTV trial ongoing at 14 construction sites in Singapore

SINGAPORE – At a construction site in Pasir Ris, safety supervisors do not need to constantly monitor screens to keep track of workers’ safety.

Instead, their phones receive instant notifications of safety violations whenever closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras augmented with artificial intelligence detect unsafe practices.

The SafeSite VA system has been trialled at 14 worksites being managed across seven public sector agencies since the second half of 2025. The trial will continue until June before a decision is made on possibly scaling it to other worksites, said Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash on Feb 10.

He also revealed during a visit to a Pasir Ris Coast Industrial Park worksite that Singapore’s workplace death rate in 2025 had fallen to 0.96 per 100,000 workers, from the

1.2 per 100,000 workers in 2024.

It is the lowest since 2020, when construction activity slowed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The 2025 workplace death rate corresponds to 36 fatalities, said a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesperson. In 2024, there were 43 workplace deaths, of which vehicular incidents were the top cause.

More detailed information will be provided in March when MOM releases its annual workplace safety and health statistics.

“Every fatality is a fatality too many,” Mr Dinesh said, adding that the trial has led to a downward trend in unsafe practices at the worksite at Pasir Ris Coast, though he did not elaborate.

The SafeSite VA system is an initiative by MOM’s Workplace Safety and Health Institute, the Government Technology Agency of Singapore, and the Prime Minister’s Office’s Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office.

During Mr Dinesh’s visit to Pasir Ris Coast on Feb 10, the system was showcased to the media at the construction site of Riviera station, which will connect to the Sengkang-Punggol LRT as part of the Cross Island Line-Punggol extension.

The worksite, which measures 6ha, is equipped with 31 CCTV cameras, of which 10 are equipped with the video analytics system.

When an unsafe practice is detected, it immediately alerts safety supervisors through Telegram, providing information such as the time of occurrence and the camera that caught it.

This allows supervisors to respond quickly and address the situation on the ground.

Currently, the AI system flags workers who fail to wear personal protective equipment, stand under suspended loads, near machinery or vehicles, or work at a height in areas without railings.

It also has geofencing capabilities – workers detected in unauthorised areas will also be flagged.

Mr Dinesh said: “When the cameras are around, that becomes the permanent safety officer that’s constantly watching, and that allows for the right behaviour that we want to see inside the worksites.”

Mr Farhan Shah Ghaffa, the workplace safety and health manager for the site’s main contractor – a joint venture between Taisei Corporation and China State Construction Engineering – said responses to unsafe practices now usually occur within 15 seconds.

Besides quicker response times, the AI-enhanced system also reduces time spent on reviewing footage, which is “labour-intensive”, he said.

As the footage is captured live, the system is unlikely to prevent accidents that are already unfolding, he noted.

However, Mr Farhan added: “The faster response time allows us to take action against the person committing the unsafe act.

“It’s more of a culture and mindset shift.”