Singapore WSH Performance

A Safer Singapore: H1 2025 Workplace Safety Hits a Record Low, Plus a Major Update to the Occupational Disease List

​Singapore’s commitment to making its workplaces among the safest globally is paying off! The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has released its Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance report for the first half of 2025, revealing significant improvements in injury rates and unveiling a major update to the Occupational Disease (OD) list.

​This good news is a testament to the collective effort of the government, employers, and workers. Let's dive into the key takeaways.

​WSH Performance: Injury Rates at an All-Time Low

The first half of 2025 saw Singapore achieve a substantial reduction in both fatal and major injury rates, continuing a positive, long-term trend.

​Key Accident Statistics (H1 2025 vs. H1 2024)

The major injury rate of 15.5 per 100,000 workers marks a historic low (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19 work disruptions), a significant milestone in the journey towards a 'Vision Zero' culture.

​Sectoral Improvements: Manufacturing & Construction

​Improvements were noted in the Manufacturing and Construction sectors, which historically contribute the most to fatal and major injuries.

• ​Manufacturing: The number of fatal and major injuries dropped from 65 to 55 cases. The metalworking industry saw a particularly marked 29% reduction, likely due to tighter machinery safety requirements.

• ​Construction: The combined fatal and major injury rate fell from 30.6 to 28.2 per 100,000 workers (81 to 76 cases). This progress is attributed to factors like a sector-wide safety time-out in late 2024 and stricter safety requirements for public-sector projects.

​Leading Causes of Accidents

​Despite the overall improvements, high-risk activities remain a concern:

• ​Leading Causes of Fatalities: Vehicular incidents and falls from height.

• ​Leading Cause of Major Injuries: Slips, trips, and falls.

​Occupational Diseases: A Stable Rate and Expanded Protection

​The reported annualised occupational disease (OD) rate for H1 2025 remained stable at 25.2 per 100,000 workers (465 cases). The top three contributors remain consistent: Noise-induced deafness (60%), Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26%), and Occupational skin diseases (10%).

​Major Update to the Occupational Disease List (Effective 1 Dec 2025) 🛠️

​Beyond the accident statistics, one of the most important developments is the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) update to the Occupational Disease (OD) list, set to take effect from December 1, 2025.

​This revision is designed to strengthen worker protection and provide clearer guidance to employers by aligning reporting and compensation requirements under the Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) and the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA).

​The combined list will now recognise 38 occupational diseases and features two key expansions in coverage:

1. ​Expanded Musculoskeletal Disorder Coverage: The scope for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is significantly expanded. It will now cover all work-related musculoskeletal disorders, going beyond just those affecting the upper limbs. This better covers common injuries like back, spine, and lower limb MSDs resulting from ergonomic risk factors.

2. ​Broader Infectious Disease Coverage: The list broadens the recognition of occupational infectious diseases beyond tuberculosis, to include all such diseases in high-risk settings like healthcare, research, and laboratories.

​This alignment and expansion ensure that the same list of diseases is both reportable (under WSHA) and compensable (under WICA), simplifying processes for employers, insurers, and medical practitioners, and ultimately ensuring workers receive timely diagnosis and entitlements.

​Sustaining the Momentum

​The positive WSH performance in the first half of 2025 demonstrates that continuous vigilance, stronger enforcement—which included over 3,000 inspections, nearly 7,000 breaches detected, and over $1.5 million in fines—and a commitment from all stakeholders are critical.

​The updated OD list further solidifies Singapore’s holistic approach to worker well-being, focusing not just on immediate accidents but also on long-term occupational health.

​Achieving a truly safe workplace is a shared responsibility. We must all commit to these high standards to ensure a safe and healthy environment for every worker in Singapore.

WSH National Statistics 2025

WSH Reports 2025

WSH Performance Indicators Sample

 

S/N	HSE Performance Indicator	Description	Formula
1	Workplace Injuries	A workplace injury is any personal injury, disease (acute) or death resulting from a workplace accident. Workplace Injuries cover those sustained by employees and: i.  Resulting in more than 3 consecutive days of medical leave; o ii. Resulting in at least 24 hours of hospitalization	No. of Fatal and non-Fatal Workplace Injuries x 100,000  No. of employed Persons
2	Occupational Disease (OD) Case	An Occupational Disease (OD) is a chronic disease contracted as a result of an exposure over a period of time to risk factors arising from work activity. A confirmed case of occupational disease is one where there is definite evidence that the worker has suffered from a disease which is related to his occupation. List of ODs can be found in the Third Schedule of the Workplace Safety and Health Act	No. of Occupational Diseases (i.e. chronic confirmed cases) x 100,000             No. of Employed Persons
3	Frequency of Workplace Accidents  Or better known as Accident Frequency Rate	A workplace accident is an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, arising out of or in connection with work which results in one or more workers incurring a personal injury, disease (acute) or death. They  cover those resulting in the i. Death of Employees, self-employed persons and persons not at work  ii. Injury of self-employed persons and persons not at work who have to be taken to the hospital for treatment	No. of Workplace Accidents Reported x 1,000,000     No. of Man-hours Worked
4	Number of Man-days lost due to Workplace Accidents also better known as Accident Severity Rate (ASR)	A measure of how often workplace accidents take place	No. of Man-days Lost to Workplace Accidents x 1,000,000        No. of Man-Hours Worked
5	Number of workplace Fatalities in the Reporting Period	Refers to the number of workplace fatalities per 100,000 persons                  employed. Figures used are victim based = Number of workplace                  fatalities x 105 Number of persons employed	Number of workplace                  fatalities x 105 Number of persons employed
7	WSH Commitment	WSH commitment measures an organization commitment’s to Workplace Safety & Health  by looking specifically at the top & middle level management as well as  supervisors’ job descriptions  to identify whether they contain specific health and safety responsibilities	No of employees (top+middle mgmt+supervisor) who has WHS in their job descriptions  No. of employed Persons (Topmgmt+middle mgmt+supervisors)
8	WSH Management	WSH Management measure the commitment of the organization to comply with local legislation and in this case is the update of the risk assessment as part of changes in the Singapore WSH legal framework	No. of risk assessment reviewed and updated                       Total risk assessment generated that have to be reviewed & updated as part of changes in SGP WSH legal framework
9	Managing WSH	Managing WSH measure the commitment of the organization to comply with local legislation and in this case is the update of the organization procedure as part of changes in the Singapore WSH legal framework	# of organization procedure reviewed and updated    # of organization procedure that need to be updated as part of Singapore new WSH Legal Framework
10	# 0f Site Audit & Inspection conducted against regulatory requirements	Number of site safety audit & inspection conducted measures an organization commitment to continual HSE management system improvements	Actual number of site safety audit & inspection conducted Total required site safety audit & inspection mandated by local WSH Regulations
11	# of WSH safety  committee meeting conducted	Number of WSH safety Committee meeting conducted measures an organization commitment to & support to WSH & its compliance to local regulations	Actual number of WSH Safety committee conducted Total required WSH Safety committee meeting mandated by local WSH Regulations
12	% of staff participating in organization WSH Suggestion Scheme	Percentage of an organization staff participating in WSH improvement or  Suggestion schemes measures the organization overall commitment, attitude & responsibilities in ensuring worker’s health & safety at the workplace	Actual number of staffs contributed to at least 1 WSH improvement  Suggestion Total number of suggestions required to be put up by an organization, based on 1 employee= 1 WSH suggestion contribution