SINGAPORE - Mr Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) on Tuesday called for heavier fines to be imposed on errant companies when workplace deaths occur.

Speaking at the end of the sitting in Parliament, he said penalties for such companies mostly involve composition fines and stop-work orders, which are insufficient.

This was one of four recommendations he mooted to keep workplaces safe beyond the heightened safety period, which ended on May 31.

The labour MP said 13 workers died between June and August after the heightened safety period ended, based on the National Trades Union Congress’ internal tracking.

There were 14 workplace deaths from January to June 2023, according to Ministry of Manpower (MOM) figures.

During the heightened safety period from September 2022 to May 2023, companies had to carry out a thorough review of their safety procedures and were subject to additional measures.

This had been imposed to curb a rise in workplace fatalities in 2022, when such deaths hit 46 – the highest yearly toll since 2016.

Mr Yong noted that the fatality rate had gone up from 2.3 deaths per month during the heightened safety period to an “alarming” 4.3 per month in the three months after.

In his adjournment motion, Mr Yong also called for tighter enforcement on unsafe work practices, such as conducting checks more frequently to deter companies from “cutting corners” in workplace safety and health (WSH) practices.

“Whenever there is a workplace accident or fatality, it is common to hear anecdotally that the particular unsafe work practice had been happening regularly, sometimes for months and years in some cases,” he said.

He acknowledged that MOM has been stepping up its enforcement operations, but said there is scope to do more.

Mr Yong added that the authorities should make it easier for workers and the public to whistle-blow and flag unsafe practices.

All workplaces should have a dedicated WSH professional to review all aspects of safety in a company, he said. Even if this is not possible, the authorities can start by expanding the list of companies that are required to employ one.

He said MOM’s WSH regulations for design for safety – rules that oblige developers, contractors and designers to prioritise workers’ safety when designing a worksite – should be reviewed and expanded beyond just the construction phase.

“Companies need to actively put safety at the forefront of designing their worksites and offices,” he added.

Responding, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the rise in workplace deaths after the heightened safety period was a concern, but added that the situation should be assessed over a longer period as “there will be some month-to-month volatility in fatality numbers”.

Mr Zaqy noted that the manufacturing sector was the top contributor of fatal and major workplace injuries in the first half of 2023, with 35 per cent more injuries compared with the second half of 2022.

A demerit point system that is currently in place for the construction sector will be extended to the manufacturing sector from October. This should deter safety breaches and strengthen standards, he said.

On raising fines for lapses, he said the maximum fine for breaches of WSH laws that could result in death or serious injury will be increased from $20,000 to $50,000.

Turning to the suggestion for more high-risk industries to appoint dedicated WSH officers, Mr Zaqy said MOM will first need to assess the effectiveness of doing so.

MOM is also reviewing its framework to close a loophole in which errant companies or company directors absolve their WSH responsibilities by setting up a new entity to circumvent penalties, he said.

Mr Zaqy added that MOM has intensified inspections on companies to ensure that employers maintain a strong focus on safety.

“While we have exited (the heightened safety period), rest assured that we continue to pursue measures to build stronger workplace safety culture and ownership across Singapore,” he said.