Workplace deaths in Singapore lowest in 13 years

According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), 41 workers lost their lives on the job in accidents, including falling from height and being run over by vehicles. This marks the first time that the figure has gone below 50 since 2004. From then until 2016, between 55 and 83 workplace deaths were recorded each year.

Analysts attributed the improvement to efforts by stakeholders such as developers, contractors and workers to alter mindsets about safety, as well as legislative changes and a step-up in enforcement. However, they added that Singapore will need to double its efforts to have fewer than one workplace fatality per 100,000 workers before 2028, which is a target set by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year. It is half the current rate of 1.9 recorded in Singapore in 2016.

Commenting on the latest figure, Singapore Institution of Safety Officers honourary president Seet Choh San and Singapore Contractors Association president Kenneth Loo said that the focus on supporting companies in workplace safety and health matters has helped. Seet cited MOM’s SnapSafe mobile application, which allows company staff to flag unsafe practices internally.

The labour movement has also worked closely with the manufacturing, construction and transportation industries, the top three contributors of workplace fatalities, said Melvin Yong, secretary for the NTUC Workplace Safety and Health Committee. Laws have also been tightened with amendments over the past two years to the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act, such as higher fines for firms that commit multiple safety breaches.