Companies urged to conduct time-out, review work safety measures ahead of CNY rush
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MOM urged companies to implement a voluntary safety time-out, taking a brief pause from work ahead of the seasonal rush around Chinese New Year.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – On Dec 31, 2025, a worker was standing on the platform of a scissor lift and reversing it when his back struck the top of a doorway. His fellow workers came to his aid but he soon lost consciousness and died at the scene.
The man was one of four workers killed in vehicle-related workplace accidents in December, said tripartite alliance Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council in an advisory.
In view of these incidents, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a Facebook post on Jan 12 urged companies to conduct a voluntary safety time-out as a pre-emptive move ahead of the seasonal rush around Chinese New Year.
A safety time-out means taking a brief pause from work, especially when there are spikes in workplace incidents or emerging risks.
MOM suggested a time-out from Jan 13 to Jan 27 that would apply to “not just heavy vehicles, but also other vehicles at your worksite, including forklifts and mobile platforms”, it said in its post.
The other workplace deaths in December had involved various types of vehicles, said the WSH Council.
On Dec 11, a worker was standing behind his delivery van on a service road which had a slight gradient. The van suddenly rolled backwards, striking and pinning the man underneath it. He was taken to hospital, where he died the following day.
On Dec 15, a forklift operator was lowering a stack of plywood sheets when the stack toppled, striking and pinning a nearby worker. The worker was taken to hospital and later died. The stack of plywood sheets was found to be positioned off-centre on the forklift and was not secured to it.
In the fourth case, which the WSH Council did not date, a lorry crashed into the rear of another, killing a worker.
MOM said in its post that the safety time-out is an opportunity to review and strengthen safety procedures, reinforce control measures and address any potential safety gaps, and to reaffirm management commitment to protecting lives and preventing incidents.
Employers are encouraged to tap the ministry’s resources and grants such as the Lorry Crane Stability Control System Grant and the Productivity Solutions Grant to utilise vehicular safety technologies.
The WSH Council in its advisory called on all companies to review their WSH management systems in order to ensure that vehicles and industrial mobile equipment are properly selected, operated and maintained to protect workers from harm.
The council directed companies to ensure the following measures are included in their WSH management systems:
Safe vehicle and equipment: Conduct pre-operation checks of the vehicle and equipment before use. Use the vehicle and equipment only if they are in good operating condition. Place vehicles and equipment on a regular inspection and preventive maintenance programme.
Competent driver and operator: Deploy only drivers and operators who have completed the necessary training for the vehicle and equipment.
Safe work procedures: Establish and implement such procedures for the specific task so that drivers and operators have detailed guidance on how to carry out the work safely.
Safe work position: Train drivers and operators to ensure they and other workers or people in the vicinity are in safe positions before starting work.
For operators of vans, forklifts and scissor lifts, the WSH Council recommended a review of risk assessments and putting in place control measures to prevent unintended vehicle movement such as the vehicle rolling forward or backward on slopes. With regard to lifting goods with forklifts, companies should review their forklift operations and ensure loads are properly prepared and secured before using the machine, said the council.
All companies using mobile elevating work platforms such as scissor lifts should also review their risk assessments and implement control measures to prevent workers from colliding with overhead or other obstructions during operations, it added.
More information can be found in the WSH Council advisory on its website.
