Consultancy director says he forged bizSafe certs to avoid losing clients, financial trouble
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The Workplace Safety and Health Council, in a bulletin published on Oct 16, said the firm allegedly issued bizSAFE certificates to at least 11 firms that engaged its services.
PHOTO: BEST MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY
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SINGAPORE – A company director under probe for forging bizSafe certificates said he did so for fear of losing clients at a time when his firm was already in financial trouble.
Speaking to The Straits Times, the director of Best Management Consultancy (BMC) – who asked not to be named – said clients were chasing the firm for the certificates, and without enough people to do the audits required to issue the documents, he had no choice but to forge them.
The forged documents were issued to some clients between December 2021 and February 2023, he added.
The director said all four of his employees had quit due to salary disputes.
He added: “We have been going through an even rougher phase to complete our ongoing projects, with the probability of closing the company down.”
He said he hopes to get off with a warning for the forgery case.
The Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH Council), in a bulletin published on Monday, said BMC allegedly issued bizSafe certificates to at least 11 firms that engaged its services.
The WSH Council, an agency under the Ministry of Manpower, added in the bulletin that it takes a serious view of “any misrepresentation or fraud involving our programmes like bizSafe, which may mislead the public, the companies involved and their clients, as well as compromise the standard of workplace safety and health”.
When contacted, the council declined to provide further details, citing ongoing investigations.
Responding to queries, the police said BMC is helping with investigations linked to forgery offences for the purpose of cheating.
The bizSafe programme – managed by the WSH Council – is aimed at helping Singapore firms promote workplace safety and health practices. Businesses can apply for bizSafe certification if they wish – no payment is required.
In response to queries, the council said the time needed to obtain bizSafe certification is between half a day and a few days, depending on the course level.
A spokesman for the council said: “bizSafe certification is optional. It is a form of recognition for companies with WSH capabilities, and so it is not mandatory for employees.”
He added that bizSafe training and course fees vary, depending on the industry. Course fees can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, according to WSH Council estimates, and some courses qualify for government subsidies.
The WSH Council has instructed BMC to stop advertising or offering bizSafe consultancy services to ensure no more fraud is committed, the spokesman said.
Anyone keen to get bizSafe certification can apply through the WSH Council website ( tal.sg/wshc/programmes/bizsafe/about-bizsafe
