Two delivery riders among 36 workplace deaths in 2025: MOM

SINGAPORE – Two delivery riders died in road accidents in 2025, a year when vehicular incidents remained the top cause of the 36 workplace deaths in Singapore for the second year running.

Another 74 platform workers had major injuries, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) annual workplace safety and health report released on March 25, which included non-fatal injuries among such workers for the first time.

Overall, however, the number of workplace deaths fell from 43 in 2024, bringing the workplace death rate to 0.96 per 100,000 workers.

This is the lowest since 2020, when construction activity slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The inclusion of injury data on platform workers followed the implementation of the Platform Workers Act on Jan 1, 2025, which requires platform operators to report work-related injuries and occupational diseases.

Major injuries include amputation and paralysis.

Of the 74 major injuries among platform workers, 60 occurred in traffic incidents, and 12 resulted from slips, trips and falls.

The majority, or 62 injuries, involved platform workers making deliveries, and the remainder were ride-hailing drivers.

Speaking at a National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) event on March 25 to recognise efforts to improve workplace safety and health, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash noted that delivery riders on two-wheeled vehicles made up a significant proportion of workplace injuries.

MOM said the high death and injury rate of 84.6 per 100,000 platform workers reflects the risks involved in such work.

Overall, vehicular incidents accounted for 15 fatalities, or 42 per cent of workplace deaths in 2025, up from 11 in 2024.

The other top causes of deaths were falls from height with seven, collapse or failure of structures and equipment with six, and being struck by falling or moving objects with four.

High-risk industries accounted for almost 70 per cent of workplace deaths, despite a general downward trend across sectors.

The construction sector, for instance, recorded 13 deaths in 2025, compared with 20 in 2024. The 2025 fatalities included a 52-year-old who was trapped after a wall structure collapsed on him at a construction site in Upper Changi in September.

To improve workers’ safety in the sector, Mr Dinesh said the authorities have been testing the use of video analytics and artificial intelligence.

AI-enabled CCTV cameras are now being trialled at 14 construction sites until June.

He said MOM will work with the Building and Construction Authority and public-sector agencies to make video analytics compulsory for public-sector construction projects after the pilot ends.

Meanwhile, the transport and storage sector saw seven deaths in 2025, down from nine in the previous year. The marine sector, which recorded five deaths in 2024, had one in 2025.

The manufacturing sector, however, saw its workplace fatalities double from two in 2024, to four in 2025.

One death each was recorded in the accommodation and food services sector, and the water supply, sewerage and waste management industry.

Excluding platform workers, the number of major injuries recorded in workplaces in 2025 was 586, compared with 587 in 2024.

This translates to a rate of 15.7 major injuries per 100,000 workers, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline. It was also the lowest in the past decade, except for 2020, when the pandemic caused significant disruptions.

The top causes of major injuries were slips, trips and falls (216), followed by falls from height (78) and machinery incidents (66).

When the 74 major injuries among platform workers are included, the overall major injury rate rises to 17.7 per 100,000 workers.

“Their job exposes them to hazards on public roads and pathways all day long, putting them at constant risk,” said Mr Dinesh, adding that this underscores the need to improve platform worker safety.

To that end, he cited the implementation of stronger protections for such workers, including the Platform Workers Act.

The law provides for mandatory contributions to the Central Provident Fund for those born on or after Jan 1, 1995, and a standardised work injury compensation scheme, among other measures.

A platform worker safety workgroup was also announced by Mr Dinesh at the event, comprising representatives from government agencies, platform operators, NTUC and platform work associations.

The group has been tasked to look at ways to protect platform workers from workplace injuries, including incentivising positive safety practices and deterring unsafe behaviour.

In separate statements, two platform operators that are involved – Grab and Foodpanda – said they welcomed the group’s formation, noting that improving safety for platform workers is a collective effort.

Both already employ several safety measures, including the use of telematics, which enable them to monitor platform workers’ riding and driving habits, and provide feedback if unsafe practices are detected.

The MOM report also showed that minor workplace injuries rose to 22,090 in 2025, a 2.6 per cent increase from 21,527 in 2024. These figures exclude platform workers.

Including them, the number of minor workplace injuries rose to 23,367.

Slips, trips and falls, machinery incidents, and over-exertion or strenuous movements were the top three causes of minor workplace injuries.

The health and social services, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, and construction sectors had the most number of such injuries.

The number of workers who developed occupational diseases, such as noise-induced deafness, musculoskeletal disorders and skin diseases, increased from 899 in 2024, to 1,028 in 2025.