Why Singapore’s new approach to workplace safety and health matters (to you)
The Ministry of Manpower recently accepted the recommendations of the Tripartite Strategies Committee for Workplace Safety and Health which place stronger ownership of workplace safety and health on employers and employees than before. There is also a strong focus on enhancing workforce health and the use of technology for safe work practices.
The authors say that while there has been some progress made in the Total Workplace Safety and Health initiative, there is still arguably insufficient focus and adoption by the industries to harness its full potential.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently accepted the recommendations of the Tripartite Strategies Committee for Workplace Safety and Health (WSH 2028).
The recommendations place stronger ownership of workplace safety and health (WSH) on employers and employees than before.
There is also a strong focus on enhancing workforce health and the use of technology for safe work practices.
This three-pronged approach is pivotal in preparing businesses and their employees for the workplace of the future, and in doing so, help Singapore maintain her competitive edge as a nation.
The Republic has come a long way since it first enacted the WSH Act in 2006. Back then, punitive measures largely drove compliance by businesses to regulations.
But internalisation of WSH culture within industries and companies has matured over time, enabling the Government to progress beyond mere fines and stop work orders for safety lapses.
Today, there is a strong tripartite partnership between the Government, employers and workers’ unions to actively promote, educate and recognise good WSH practices.
Many employers now view WSH track record as an intrinsic component of their overall business success.
Consequently, Singapore’s workplace fatal injury rates have fallen from 4.9 per 100,000 in 2004 to 1.2 in 2017 and 2018, the lowest ever recorded.
The Government’s target is to reduce this further to below 1.0 per 100,000 workers by 2028, a safety level that has been achieved by only four OECD countries on a sustained basis.
So will WSH 2028 help Singapore reach this target and how is it different from current practices?
First, WSH 2028 places a bigger onus on prevention of work injuries and diseases by employers and workers than before.
New measures include sharing work injury compensation claims data for differentiated insurance premiums based on a company’s safety record and public-sector developers harmonising the disqualification criteria for contractors.
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Organisations with strong WSH systems will be allowed to certify their in-house training as being compliant to regulatory requirements, and even offer these programmes to their supply chain partners.
At the workforce level, there will be a deliberate effort to include workers as part of an organisation’s WSH committee and empower them to call a time-out at times of unsafe work conditions.
These are bold measures which will transform the complexion of a previously heavily top-down, state-driven approach towards a more joint ownership in WSH by the Government, employers and workers.
Second, WSH 2028 seeks to change the notion that workforce health is secondary and firmly entrenches the health of employees as a workplace safety imperative.
The mutually reinforcing inter-relationship between safety and health has long been recognised.
Diminished health in the workforce not only reduces work output, it is a risk factor for work injuries and other unsafe occurrences at the workplace.
This was why MOM launched Total Workplace Safety and Health, an integrated approach to address work, safety and health, in 2014.
The initiative calls on companies to profile the health status of their workforce and identify health issues that impact on work and safety so that they can implement customised health intervention programmes at the workplace.
While there has been some progress on this front, there is still arguably insufficient focus and adoption by the industries to harness its full potential.
Improving the health of the workforce requires monetary investments and time.
But some employers may not view this as part of their obligations nor understand the direct impact of health on workplace safety, thereby relegating this to an afterthought.
In this regard, two additions in WSH 2028 — one positive and one less so — are worth highlighting.
One is for the Government to adopt a “promotional approach in supporting employers to improve their workers’ health”.
While this is a nod to the key role of health in contributing towards workplace safety, it falls short of being more affirmative.
A more positive measure in WSH 2028 is the call for companies to develop guidelines on job adaptations for workers with chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Given Singapore's ageing population and workforce, the burden of chronic diseases among workers is set to rise.
Being able to retain them in a modified job role allows companies to continue to tap their experience. These employees will also be able to lead productive lives and improve overall well-being.
The third key thrust of WSH 2028 is to promote technology-enabled workplace safety and health.
In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the convergence of advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics, additive manufacturing, nanotechnology and synthetic biology will blur the physical-digital boundaries of work.
At the same time, we can tap these technologies to redefine how we manage WSH.
Today, it is common to deploy drones instead of humans to inspect hazardous environments. In the near future, technology will enable workers to wear electronic trackers to monitor their health status and predict near misses to avert accidents.
Workplaces will be continuously monitored visually, auditorily and chemically to reduce excessive hazardous exposure and safety lapses.
In this regard, the third thrust of WSH 2028 aims to future-proof Singapore’s workplace safety and health management in line with the advent of current and emerging technologies.
Key recommendations include facilitating the adoption of innovative solutions for safe work processes by setting up a WSH Innovation and Technology Network to match companies’ WSH problems with technological solutions which are already available.
The network will tap R&D and technology companies to develop new solutions to address existential or emerging WSH challenges.
WSH 2028 also advocates leveraging learning technology to provide realistic, high fidelity yet affordable workplace safety and health training for workers.
The adoption of technology is often perceived to be associated with high cost. The Government will need to especially reach out to small and medium enterprises, improve the access of such technological solutions to them, and ensure that they are not left behind in this journey.
WSH 2028 sets a transformational roadmap for WSH in Singapore. It addresses some of the most fundamental issues head-on, namely ownership, workforce health and the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
It recognises that these are the central pieces that enable us to turn the tight corner on our goal to improve workplace safety and health as a nation.
It remains to be seen if WSH 2028 will achieve all the goals it sets out to do by 2028. Nonetheless, the roadmap is an important gateway to prepare workers, employers and WSH professionals for the WSH challenges of today and the future.
It ensures that Singapore is well-placed to adapt and thrive in the new normal.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Dr Gan Wee Hoe is Vice President of the College of Public Health and Occupational Physicians, Academy of Medicine Singapore. Dr Chia Kee Seng is Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore.
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