SINGAPORE - Singapore has made progress in getting companies and workers to appreciate the importance of occupational safety and health, but is "not resting on our laurels", Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Education Hawazi Daipi said on Wednesday.

Speaking in Frankfurt, Germany, on the last day of the 20th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, Mr Hawazi said it was important to have a mindset that all injuries and ill-health arising from work are preventable.

"Vision Zero calls for a paradigm shift at every level of an organisation, from one of fault finding, to one that focuses on finding solutions to prevent injuries and ill-health," Mr Hawazi said in his speech, according to Singapore's Ministry of Manpower. "Having good safety and health practices...makes business sense as it reduces costs, increases productivity and enhances corporate reputation."

Mr Hawazi also announced that the next meeting of the triennial congress will be held in Singapore in 2017, the first time the event will be held in South-east Asia.

"We look forward to this unique opportunity for Singapore to contribute to enhancing and advancing the global agenda on occupational safety and health."

The event will be organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Social Security Association and MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Division.

Mr Guy Ryder, Director-General of the ILO, said in his keynote address at the current congress that his organisation will be making "a new global initative of occupational safety and health, aiming to increase our real impact", adding that it has recognised that "work that endangers people's lives and their health is the antithesis of decent work".