Fatalities from vehicle use at work likely to fall

The number of workers killed in vehicular-related incidents at the workplace this year is on track to be lower than last year, with five recorded as at the end of last month.

This is two fewer than that recorded for the whole of last year.

Enforcement efforts by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), along with better management of vehicular-related risks by business, have helped to bring the number of fatalities down, said Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Zaqy Mohamad yesterday.

"We've seen the number of incidents for fatalities drop from 24 in 2013, down to seven in 2018. We are currently at five for this year, so we hope that it still remains that way. Every fatality is one death too many," he told reporters during a visit to the Allied Container Group premises in Tuas.

He added that vehicular incidents were the top cause of workplace fatalities from 2013 to 2017. It fell to second place last year, replaced by fall from heights.

Mr Zaqy also said that MOM has "gone stronger on enforcement" this year. It carried out special operations last month to identify and take action against companies that contravene regulations.

A total of 240 companies in industries where traffic hazards are common, such as wholesale trade, were inspected.

Action taken against 160 of them included fines, stop-work orders and notices of non-compliance. Common regulatory breaches included failure to implement a proper traffic management plan and maintain the vehicles used in the workplace.

"Next year we are putting up another round of special operations for enforcement in March. So the efforts will continue," said Mr Zaqy.

Apart from enforcement, there are also engagement efforts between the Government and the industry players to manage vehicular-related risks.

The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council's logistics and transport committee will organise the Annual WSH Forum for Logistics and Transport Sector next year.

A new series of educational materials to promote proper access and exit from heavy-vehicle cabins will also be produced to promote best practices and technologies for forklift and warehouse safety.

"What we've done is to really work with the industry, to partner them and organise forums and campaigns to create greater awareness and share best practices. Also, to educate workers in terms of the safety aspects, and also work with companies like Allied Container, for example, to implement technologies and see what are the best practices we can learn from," said Mr Zaqy.

Yesterday, Allied Container Services showcased its initiatives to improve vehicular safety, including an Auto Quicklock System. The system is the first of its kind in Singapore and enables a container to be properly locked onto a trailer with just a switch from within the cabin.

This means that drivers no longer have to alight and physically check if containers are properly locked, removing the need for them to walk in operational areas like ports and container depots.

The Auto Quicklock System is currently installed on one trailer in the company's fleet of 300 trailers, and will be rolled out to the rest in the next two years.

Allied Container Services managing director Lim Kian Chin said each lock costs about $150, and a trailer can have between four and 12 locks, depending on its configuration. Older types of locks could cost as low as $25 each.

Mr Lim said cost might prove a barrier to the adoption of such safety features by small companies.

"I think this is going to be expensive for small companies to apply, but we want to change the way things are working," he said. "So if there is some financial assistance, I'm sure the smaller (players) will want to come in," he added.