Technology like drones, lorry crane stabilisers key to reducing workplace deaths, injuries: Zaqy
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Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad (second from right) visiting chemical manufacturing company Chevron Oronite on Jurong Island on March 26.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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SINGAPORE –Investment in technologies such as lorry crane stabilisers, video analytics and drones can help prevent workplace deaths and injuries, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad on March 26.
His remarks came after the release of the latest yearly workplace safety and health (WSH) figures
Lorry crane stabilisers, which are devices that warn operators when the vehicles become unstable, have reduced incidents involving the toppling of cranes so far in 2025, Mr Zaqy told reporters, without giving details.
Given the positive results, he noted that MOM will extend funding support to companies to buy these stabilisers for the next few years. The ministry will provide more details about this when they are available.
Since Jan 1, it has become mandatory for all new lorry cranes in Singapore to have the stabilisers installed.
Another technology that has the potential to improve workplace safety at construction sites is video analytics.
Mr Zaqy said he has seen some promising uses of video analytics, after video surveillance systems
These systems can analyse, monitor and alert supervisors when workers are not wearing their helmets or harnesses, or are near dangerous locations, he added.
With such systems, site supervisors and management teams can monitor sites – even retrospectively – since it may not be possible to have someone monitoring a site 24 hours a day, Mr Zaqy said.
Noting that these systems can also assist in MOM’s investigations of incidents, Mr Zaqy hopes that their use will bring down the number of workplace deaths and injuries at construction sites.
Among all sectors, the construction industry contributed to the largest number of workplace deaths here in 2024.
Mr Zaqy also said that the use of technologies can help to reduce the workloads of workers, or the need for workers to be in hazardous locations at worksites.
MOM has been using drones to complement enforcement operations, and is looking to further expand their deployment to more sites, particularly the smaller sites.
During a visit to chemical manufacturing company Chevron Oronite on Jurong Island, Mr Zaqy commended its use of drones to improve workplace safety.
These technologies remove the need for human workers in high-risk activities or in hazardous locations, he said.
Chevron Oronite has been deploying drones since 2016 to support internal inspections of storage tanks and aerial inspections of chimneys that release gases produced during manufacturing. This has eliminated the risks of workers falling from heights and working in confined spaces.
It also uses drones instead of human divers to inspect and clean underwater strainers in the sea that filter contaminants from sea water pumps.
In addition to these initiatives, the company has also been using tracking technology since 2018 to pin down the real-time locations of workers in hazardous zones within the plant.
Around 300 workers each carry a transmitter device, which can send their location data to a virtual dashboard in the company’s operations control centre.
In the event of an emergency, the device allows the operations team to quickly verify that all workers have evacuated safely from hazardous zones.
Workers can also activate an emergency button on the device if they are in danger, and the operations team can respond to them quickly.
Mr Lim Keng Yang, general manager of manufacturing and supply in the Asia-Pacific region at Chevron Oronite, said the company rolls out new technologies after gathering feedback from its workers.
“And these technologies serve a few purposes – I think it helps with executing the job in a safer manner, and to make sure that the work is done more efficiently,” he added.
