Safety culture at work is means of prevention

Today marks the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. This is an annual international campaign day that has been observed across the globe under the guidance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003. It aims to promote workplace safety awareness to prevent occupational accidents and diseases globally.

The theme for this year is “Join in building a culture of prevention on occupational safety and health”. It reflects an integral part of ILO’s global strategy on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH).

A national preventive safety and health culture is where the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels, and where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties. The principle of prevention is accorded the highest priority.

Safety and health at work remains a major global concern, having seen accumulative digits in accident statistics. Some 2.31 million people die around the world every year from work. This translates to the death of 6,500 workers every day due to work-related accidents or illnesses.

Singapore is not exempt. Figures from the past five years show 55 fatalities in 2010, 61 in 2011, 56 in 2012, 59 in 2013 and 60 in 2014. Last year, the fatality rate was 1.8 per 100,000 employees.

With the creation of the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) in 2008, Singapore has, over time, seen lower fatality rates. The national target is a fatality rate of fewer than 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018, set by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of WSHC in 2008.

Today, we can see that many enterprises and all organisations have enhanced their safety management system through bizSAFE and CultureSAFE programmes.

The Labour Movement of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), too, plays a vital role by working with tripartite partners to create a safe working environment for all workers. It provides the workers’ perspective to identify, champion and implement WSH initiatives.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A culture of safety at work must be seen as a means of prevention. By instilling every worker with this mentality, it will reduce unsafe practices and head off potential accidents. It needs to thrive. And we need to strive.