1) Higher workplace fatality rate in first half 2022, but with reduction in major and minor injury rate
• In the first half of 2022 (1H 2022), there were 28 workplace fatalities, bringing the 6-month fatality rate per 100,000 workers to 0.8. This was higher than in 2H 2021 (0.4) and 1H 2021 (0.7).
• The 6-month major injury rate in 1H 2022 was 8.7 per 100,000 workers, lower than that in 2H 2021 (8.9) and 1H 2021 (9.6). Nonetheless, when annualised, the rate for 1H 2022 was 17.4, which is still significantly higher than the target of less than 12.0 to be achieved by 2028.
• Similarly, the 6-month minor injury rate in 1H 2022 was 296 per 100,000 workers – a decline from that in 2H 2021 (322) and 1H 2021 (331).
• To arrest the spate of fatalities, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) introduced a series of new and targeted measures and called for a six-month period of Heightened Safety from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2023.
2) Construction was the biggest contributor for both fatalities and major injuries
• The construction industry saw 10 fatalities and 84 major injuries in 1H 2022, accounting for more than a third of fatalities (36%) and more than a quarter of major injuries (28%) in 1H 2022.
• MOM has stepped up enforcement efforts in the construction industry. From January 2022 to mid-September 2022, 63 Stop Work Orders were issued to worksites in the construction industry with unsafe conditions and practices that posed imminent danger to the workers.
• To further raise safety standards, MOM has also announced the introduction of harmonised disqualification criteria across public sector construction tenders from 1 October 2022. Additionally, MOM will impose demerit points more readily on companies with Workplace Safety and Health Act breaches.
3) Worrying rise in vehicular-related fatal accidents
• The number of vehicular-related fatal accidents has been rising over the last one and a half years. There were 7 in 1H 2022, 5 in 2H 2021, and 6 in 1H 2021.
• The recent mandatory Safety Time-Out from 1 to 15 September 2022 focused on industries with a higher number of fatalities (Construction, Manufacturing, Marine, Process and Transport & Storage) as well as companies in other industries that use heavy or industrial vehicles. They were required to review their safety procedures, or face debarment from employing new foreign employees for one month if found to be non-compliant.
4) Number of Dangerous Occurrences Rose
• The number of dangerous occurrences, which are incidents with a high potential for multiple casualties, more than doubled from 6 in 2H 2021 to 13 in 1H 2022, the highest in the past three years.
• Of the 13 cases in 1H 2022, 9 occurrences were due to collapse or failure of structures and equipment, mostly from the construction industry.
5) Building Safer Workplaces is a Shared Responsibility
• The WSH Council and MOM urge all employers and supervisors to take safety leadership and prioritise the safety of their workers. All workers must follow safe work procedures, watch out for unsafe workplace practices, and alert their supervisors or the MOM to such safety lapses.
