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SINGAPORE: Singapore recorded a similar number of workplace deaths during the first six months of 2020 compared to the previous two years, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a press release on Monday (September 28). ).
This was despite the suspension of certain workplace activities in the second quarter of this year due to measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
There were 16 workplace deaths in the first half of 2020, similar to the same time period in 2019 and 2018 that saw 17 and 18 such incidents, respectively.
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 first half of this year saw fewer workplace injuries, which MOM said was “likely due” to the suspension of workplace activities in the second quarter of 2020.
The number of workplace injuries fell by nearly 25 percent, from 6,630 in the first six months of 2019 to 4,996 for the same period this year.
(Source: MOM)
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FALLS FROM THE HEIGHTS A “KEY CONCERN”: MOM
In terms of fatal injuries, the leading causes continued to be falls from height and vehicle-related incidents, the MOM said.
He called falls from heights a “key concern” with four such deaths in the first half of 2020, the same as last year’s figures.
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Vehicle-related deaths fell from four cases in the first half of 2019 to three cases in the same period this year.
The leading causes of minor and major injuries continued to be slips, trips and falls, followed by machinery-related incidents, MOM said. However, the number of cases “dropped significantly.”
Slip, trip and fall accounted for 58 serious injuries in the first half of this year, up from 90 in the same period last year. Minor injuries related to these fell from 1,772 in the first half of last year to 1,450 in the first half of 2020.
There were 29 serious machinery-related injuries in the first half of 2020, down from 44 in the same period last year, while minor machinery-related injuries dropped to 780 in the first half of 2020, down from 1,075 from the same period last year.
(Source: MOM)
MORE ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAYED TO THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
Overall, the transportation and storage industry accounted for the highest number of deaths with five cases in the first half of this year.
Its 12-month death rate also increased from 3.1 per 100,000 workers at the end of December 2019 to 3.8 at the end of June 2020, MOM said.
The total number of fatal and serious injuries in this industry was reported to be 31, similar to the first half of 2019 and the second half of 2019, which recorded 35 and 30 such injuries, respectively.
(Source: MOM)
There was a “significant decrease” in serious and fatal injuries in the construction industry.
“This is likely due to the suspension of construction activities and is not indicative of an improvement in workplace safety and health (WSH) in this sector,” added MOM.
In the construction sector, there were 29 cases in the first half of 2020, compared to 67 in the same period last year.
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Its 12-month death rate also decreased from 2.9 per 100,000 workers at the end of December 2019 to 2.2 at the end of June 2020.
The ministry added that more attention should be paid to the manufacturing industry, which was the second-largest contributor of fatal injuries in the first half of 2020 with three cases.
It was also the leading contributor to major and minor injuries in the first half of 2020, with 40 and 971 cases respectively.
The number of dangerous events, incidents with a high potential for multiple deaths, fell from nine in the first half of 2019 to four in the same period in 2020.
Of the four, two were fire and explosion cases, and the other two were crane-related incidents.
Overall, the total number of cases of occupational diseases fell by 26 percent, from 264 in the first half of 2019 to 195 in the first half of this year.
The two main occupational diseases were work-related musculoskeletal disorder and noise-induced deafness, which together accounted for 92% of all such cases in the first half of 2020.
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“WORKERS ‘LIVES IS AT STAKE”
To improve transparency and accountability, the recommendations of the WSH 2028 strategy will be progressively implemented to sharpen the business impact on companies with unsafe practices, MOM said.
Starting in the fourth quarter of this year, 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.
Since Sept. 1, employers were also required to report all workplace accidents that result in medical leave or light duty, MOM said.
The WSH Council has also facilitated and encouraged companies to innovate and adopt WSH technologies.
Three WSH-related technologies have been made available to businesses with grants through MOM’s partnership with Infocomm Media Development Authority, Building and Construction Authority, and Enterprise Singapore.
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Among these technologies is an electronic work permit (e-PTW), which allows contractors to submit, track and monitor their PTW applications digitally through a centralized system.
It also includes fleet safety management solutions, tracking dangerous driving behavior and improving situational awareness, and slip, trip, and fall prevention through IMDA’s Open Innovation Challenge.
Additionally, the WSH Council has been engaging industries to safely restart work after lifting the circuit breaker.
This includes campaigns to advise companies on safe management measures and additional precautionary measures from WSH. The WSH Council has also released digital training materials on preventing WSH and COVID-19, MOM said.
“As businesses restart, they should not rush to make up for lost time,” said WSH Commissioner and MOM Division Director of Occupational Safety and Health Division, Mr. Silas Sng.
“Companies have invested a lot of effort and resources through their safe management measures to keep their workplace and workforce safe from COVID-19.
“It would be counterproductive for an accident to occur and workers to be seriously injured. Workers’ lives are at stake, so WSH must not be compromised. “
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