Period of heightened safety extended by 3 months amid ‘concerning’ rise in workplace deaths: MOM

The six-month safety period imposed on companies has been extended till May 31, with additional measures in place. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

SINGAPORE - A heightened safety period imposed on companies here has been extended by three months to curb a “concerning” rise in workplace deaths, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Friday.

This safety period, which kicked in on Sept 1, 2022, has been extended till May 31, 2023, with additional measures in place. It was initially due to end on Feb 28.

Breaches of workplace safety and health (WSH) laws that could result in death or serious injury will now come with higher penalties, with a maximum fine of $50,000, up from $20,000 previously.

Other additional measures include a mandatory half-day training course for the chief executive, or board of directors, of companies that are found with significant WSH lapses following serious or fatal workplace accidents.

This is to strengthen ownership and accountability among senior company leadership, and better equip them to meet their WSH responsibilities, said the ministry.

MOM plans to launch a national campaign in April to encourage workers and members of the public to report unsafe practices at workplaces.

The campaign will also raise awareness of the protections available to workers who report or raise workplace safety issues.

From May, all companies in Singapore will also be given bite-sized versions of WSH guidance materials to better instil a stronger safety culture, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Earlier sanctions and measures under the heightened safety period will remain in place until May 31.

Companies will continue to be banned from hiring new foreign workers for up to three months if safety lapses are found at their worksites after serious or fatal workplace incidents.

The chief executives of these companies must personally account for these lapses to MOM and take responsibility for rectifications.

The extension of these measures comes as the annual workplace fatality rate per 100,000 workers improved during the heightened safety period, falling from 1.5 for the period from January to August 2022, to 0.8 for the September-to-December period.

The fatality rate for the whole of 2022 was 1.3 per 100,000 workers.

But more workers faced major injuries in 2022, with the rate increasing from 16.8 per 100,000 workers to 18.7.

MOM said the impact of the heightened safety period was uneven across sectors, with the construction sector showing the most improvement in terms of the monthly average of fatal and major injuries.

However, monthly average deaths for the transportation and storage sector did not improve, with more accidents leading to major injuries taking place.

“This is of concern, as major injuries reflect persistent safety lapses at workplaces, and most of these injuries have debilitating effects,” MOM said.

There have been four workplace deaths in 2023, it added.

Based on past trends, the period after Chinese New Year sees more workplace injuries as companies rush to compensate for workdays lost, it noted.

There were 46 workplace deaths in 2022, the highest number reported since 2016, when there were 66 fatalities. In 2021, 37 workplace deaths were reported. There were 30 workplace fatalities in 2020, and 39 in 2019.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the tighter measures are needed to ensure more consistent improvements in workplace safety across sectors. In a separate statement, he said: “We are still not where we want to be, which is why we remain cautious.”

Registered WSH officer Han Wenqi highlighted the need to create workplaces where workers feel safe to speak up about safety issues.

“Top management must foster a safe operations culture where safety considerations are embedded in all aspects of work,” he added.

Mr Hooi Yu Koh, chief executive of construction services firm Kori Holdings, said he was pleased to see the improvements made in the construction sector so far during the heightened safety period.

He added: “I hope that with the extended safety period, other sectors will improve too.”

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.