Public database of firms' safety records expanded

A public database of company safety records has been expanded to include those outside the construction sector, to help real estate developers here better choose contractors for their projects.

The CheckSafe database now includes information on companies from sectors such as transportation, food services and education.

This is part of a package of measures aimed at addressing the recent spate of workplace deaths and injuries, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said yesterday at a safety leadership forum organised by the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (Redas) and the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council.

Allowing developers to take such records into account will create a virtuous circle where contractors equate safety with business opportunities, he told forum participants at The Fullerton Hotel.

Introduced in January last year, CheckSafe allows industry players and the public to look up a company's safety statistics, such as workplace fatalities, details of stop-work orders issued over a three-year period, and accolades a firm has received, such as the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) WSH Award or bizSAFE Award.

Mr Zaqy said there is a "pressing need" for safety leadership in the construction industry, which accounted for more than a third of the 34 workplace deaths this year.

The sector also accounted for 84 major injuries in the first half of this year, the worst the industry has performed since 2014 if this figure was annualised.

Examples of major injuries include amputation and blindness.

"This is disheartening and unacceptable," Mr Zaqy added. "As developers, you play a critical role in raising safety standards. You also have tremendous influence as service buyers."

He said the collapse of a concrete pier at Keppel Shipyard in Tuas on Monday, which killed a worker and injured four others, is also a strong reminder for the construction sector to continue checking on the safety of structures here.

On the enforcement front, MOM has conducted almost twice the number of inspections this quarter as it did over the same period last year. Composition fines for infringements have also been doubled.

Workers need to feel empowered to raise safety concerns to their supervisors, and to know they can report unsafe workplace practices to MOM, Mr Zaqy said.

Hence, signboards at construction sites here will now display MOM's safety hotline, and a QR code that links to MOM.

To better help developers exercise oversight, guidelines on incorporating safety in the design of construction projects have been revised to include detailed checklists.

Standardised criteria used to disqualify unsafe firms from bidding for public construction tenders will also be announced soon.

Meanwhile, a code of practice on the WSH duties of chief executives and board directors will be finalised by the end of the year.

WSH commissioner Silas Sng said at the forum that the main intention of the code of practice is not to punish, but to provide prescriptive guidance.

"If everybody were to play their part... it will be a game changer."

On the flip side, Mr Zaqy said, he was glad that Redas will be encouraging its members to give contractors safety bonuses if they do well in safety and health.

"This will be a strong carrot in aligning contractors' business interests with a strong workplace safety and health culture."

City Developments' head of projects, Ms Tay Seok Cheng, said her firm has been giving out such incentives for the past 21 years. Audits are conducted every quarter and contractors who maintain a five-star rating for a whole year get a $30,000 reward.

United Tec Construction managing director Allan Tan said such incentive schemes are uncommon and should be adopted widely.

"We need to cultivate a positive mindset so that people along the value chain can be motivated and take action," he said.