Workplace deaths fall to record low

SINGAPORE — Though Singapore’s workplace death rate fell to its lowest ever last year, businesses, particularly small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), can still do more and should aim for zero fatalities, said Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin yesterday.

There were 1.8 deaths at the workplace per 100,000 employees last year — down from 2.3 in 2013 — hitting the target that had been set for 2018. But Mr Tan said the statistic still translated to “60 lives that were lost last year”.

Speaking at the bizSAFE Convention yesterday, he said: “We want to bring it down to zero. So it is not good enough. It is a good effort, but it is not good enough.

“We must, especially in the realm of workplace safety and health, endeavour desperately, earnestly, constantly every day to ensure that nobody gets killed or injured. That is what we need to do,” he added.

While all employers would want their workers to be safe, Mr Tan said that desire must be translated into action.

But so far, one of the key challenges is in reaching out to SMEs and helping them learn how to ensure their workers’ safety, he said.

Pointing to findings from a Workplace Safety and Health Institute study that showed that more than three in five SMEs had insufficient expertise in putting in place safe workplaces for employees, Mr Tan said it was something that needed rectifying, considering that SMEs make up 99 per cent of businesses in Singapore and account for 70 per cent of the total workforce.

“If we are able to move that sector, it is going to have a significant impact on the well-being and safety of our people,” he said.

When contacted by TODAY, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises president Kurt Wee said it was not a question of SMEs being unwilling to pay attention to workplace safety, but that they are constrained by other factors, such as time pressures.

He cited the construction sector as an example, where companies are under immense pressure to work within tight timeframes and deliver their projects on time.

The construction sector has been in the spotlight after accidents arising from lapses in workplace safety and health procedures. In the first six months of last year, there were 17 fatalities in construction accidents, up from 11 in the same period in 2013.

Mr Wee said workplace dangers might arise when clients set unrealistic developmental deadlines that pile pressure on the construction firms.

Asked what challenges SMEs face in putting in place workplace safety measures, he said such firms are constrained by limited manpower and therefore require “efficient and impactful” workplace safety training programmes that take up as little time as possible.

“Some of the (training) modules could be (conducted) in the evenings, so workers won’t have to be released in the day,” he suggested.

He added that ensuring the use of proper equipment and tools and having regular activities to foster the right mindset among the SMEs would be key. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KENNETH CHENG