Workplace deaths up last year to near pre-pandemic levels

There were 37 workplace fatalities recorded last year, close to the 39 deaths in pre-pandemic 2019.

The figure for 2020 was lower at 30, amid significant disruptions to work that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is set to enhance surveillance on companies and improve worker training to make the workplace safer.

MOM, releasing annual statistics on workplace safety and health yesterday, said the number of deaths in 2019 and last year both translate to a workplace fatality rate of 1.1 per 100,000 workers.

Singapore's goal is to reduce the fatality rate to below one per 100,000 workers by 2028.

The ministry said that to stem workplace fatalities and injuries, it will introduce heftier fines against offenders and firms that fail to ensure machinery is used safely, particularly in the manufacturing industry.

It will also increase surveillance at workplaces with noise hazards and exposure to hazardous chemicals, and expand safety training for new workers.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said Singapore is on track to meet its 2028 target of reducing the fatality rate.

Speaking to the media last week, he said: "Every one of us has a duty of care to ensure that our workplaces remain safe and healthy environments for workers, allowing workers to return home to their families safely."

He urged companies to remain committed to protecting their workers' safety and health, and take measures to prevent even the smallest injury by carrying out proper risk assessments and implementing risk control measures.

"If you look at the types of fatalities and injuries that have been reported before, you can see that many of them are preventable."

Mr Zaqy added that MOM will be stepping up enforcement to ensure company leadership takes ownership of the safety and health of workers.

This comes after the fatality rate spiked in the first half of last year to 0.7 per 100,000 workers, up from 0.4 in the second half of 2020, before returning to 0.4 in the second half of last year. A total of 23, or just under two-thirds, of the total fatalities last year occurred in the first half of the year.

The top causes of fatalities last year were vehicular-related accidents, in which 11 workers died; falls from height, which eight workers died from; and fires and explosions, which killed five workers.

MOM said it will continue to use technology, including collision alert systems and rider behaviour monitoring systems, to address vehicular-related accidents, and strengthen enforcement and engagement efforts to prevent falls from height.

The construction industry accounted for the highest number of fatalities with 13 deaths, followed by the transportation and storage industry, where there were nine fatalities.

Major injuries climbed to 610 last year, up from 463 in 2020. Last year's figure represents a slight fall compared with the 629 in 2019.

However, taking into account the smaller workforce last year, the major injury rate last year increased to 18.5 injuries per 100,000 workers, up from 18.1 in 2019.

To better educate new workers on safety, MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council have expanded the construction safety orientation course to include experiential training where workers will be trained in a construction site simulator with physical mock-ups.

MOM is also working with training providers to ensure that there is enough capacity to support the inflow of workers.

Mr Zaqy said: "We hope this gives workers an idea of the expected standards in Singapore, and they can let relevant parties know if the standards fall short at their workplaces."