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SINGAPORE – The number of workplace injuries between January and June fell by almost 25 percent compared to the first half (1H) of last year, while the number of workplace deaths remained relatively unchanged. no change during the same period.
The lower number of injuries in the first half of 2020, 4,996 compared to 6,630 in the first half of 2019, “probably due to the suspension of certain activities in the workplace” in the second quarter due to the COVID pandemic -19, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a press release on Monday (September 28).
There were 16 deaths in the workplace in the first half of 2020, similar to the 17 deaths seen in the first half of 2019 and the 18 deaths in the first half of 2018.
“The 12-month fatal injury rate stood at 1.1 per 100,000 workers at the end of June 2020, similar to the rates at the end of June 2019 and the end of December 2019,” the ministry added.
MOM said the leading causes of fatal injuries in the workplace continue to be falls from height and vehicle-related accidents. These categories recorded four and three deaths, respectively, in the first half of 2020. This compares with the four deaths in each category in the first half of 2019.
The leading causes of minor and serious injuries in the workplace include slip, trip and fall (STF), as well as machinery-related accidents. The ministry noted that the number of cases in both categories had dropped significantly.
STFs accounted for 59 serious injuries during the first half of 2020, compared to 90 serious injuries in the first half of 2019 and 1,420 minor injuries in the first half of 2020, compared to 1,772 in the first half of 2019. Meanwhile, the Machinery-related accidents resulted in 29 serious injuries in the first half of 2020, compared to 44 in the first half of 2019 and 750 minor injuries in the first half of 2020, compared to 1,075 in the first half of 2019.
Injuries by industry
MOM said the transportation and storage industry accounted for the highest number of deaths in the first half of 2020 with five deaths. This caused the industry’s 12-month death rate to rise to 3.8 per 100,000 workers at the end of June this year from 3.1 per 100,000 workers at the end of December 2019.
The ministry added that more attention should also be paid to the manufacturing industry, which suffered three fatal injuries in the first half of 2020 and was the leading contributor of major and minor injuries during the same period.
The number of hazardous events also dropped to four in the first half of 2020 from nine in the first half of 2019. Two of these incidents were fire and explosion cases, while the other two were crane-related incidents.
In terms of occupational diseases, the number of cases fell to 195 in the first half of 2020 from 264 in the first half of 2019. Among the main diseases faced are musculoskeletal disorders and noise-induced deafness.
MOM also noted that the recommendations of the 2028 workplace health and safety strategy (WHS) will be “progressively implemented to heighten the business impact on companies with unsafe practices.”
“Starting (from the fourth quarter of) 2020, the WSH performance of companies will be published, starting with construction companies. Criteria will also be introduced to disqualify unsafe contractors from all public construction tenders, ”the ministry said.
Starting Sept. 1, employers must also report all workplace accidents that result in medical leave or light duty, MOM added.
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