Workplace Fatality -Singapore 2023

 

The first workplace fatality in Singapore in 2023.

A 37-year-old Myanmar national died on Jan. 12, 2023 after he fell four storeys while painting the facade of a condominium in Bedok. 

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told Mothership that the incident occurred at around 3:50pm at 738 Bedok Reservoir Road.

Painting an apartment block using a gondola

The MOM spokesperson said that the deceased was paired with a co-worker to paint an apartment block using a gondola.

However, both workers had climbed out of the gondola to paint parts of the wall that were out of reach.

The deceased was standing on a concrete ledge when he fell from the fourth level to the ground.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.

The MOM spokesperson added:

"Under the law, no person should enter or leave the gondola unless it is at rest on the ground or at any level which allows safe access. Workers should also be given appropriate safety equipment to prevent falls when working at height."

Barred from employing foreign workers for three months

MOM is investigating this incident. No foul play is suspected.

Enhanced safety of workers transported on lorries

Enhanced safety of workers transported on lorries

Employers and workers can now take guidance on new and existing legal requirements and recommended practices to enhance the safety of workers being transported on lorries.

A joint advisory issued by the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Transport, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Police Force and Building and Construction Authority outlines new requirements for employers from 1 January 2023, under both the Road Traffic Act and the Workplace Safety and Health Act.  These include the need to provide rest periods for dual role drivers and designating a “vehicle buddy” to help ensure that the driver is alert and able to safely drive.  The advisory also reminds drivers on safe and good driving habits and practices to adopt, and spells out what workers in lorry rear decks should look out for and do.      

Refer to the Inter-Agency Advisory on Safe Transportation of Workers for more information.

For more information on the requirements and recommendation for driver click requirements and recommendation for driver

WSH Act: liabilities and penalties

WSH Act: liabilities and penalties

Find out the maximum penalties for failing to comply with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act.

The tables below outline the maximum penalty for failing to comply with the WSH Act:

Not complying with a Remedial Order or Stop Work Order

General penalties
For offences where no penalty is expressly provided in the WSH Act, the penalties are as follows

Note: If the previous offence caused the death of a person, any subsequent offence that causes the death of another person will have a maximum fine that is doubled.

Composition fines

For offences, instead of prosecution in Court, the Commissioner may consider compounding the offence.

Offences may be compounded to a sum not more than half the maximum fine prescribed for the offence or $5,000, whichever is lower.

Legislation covering workplace safety and health

Work Injury Compensation Act

The Work Injury Compensation Act extends work injury compensation to most employees.

Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act

The WSH Act is the key legislation to effect the principles of the new Occupational Safety and Health framework. It replaces the Factories Act, with effect from 1 March 2006.

WSH Act subsidiary legislation

Factories Act subsidiary legislation

Even though the Factories Act has been repealed, under section 66(14) of the WSH Act, “Any subsidiary legislation made under the repealed Act and in force immediately before the appointed day shall, so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, continue in force in factories as if made under this Act until it is revoked or repealed.”

The following Factories subsidiary legislation will be reviewed and promulgated as new Workplace Safety and Health subsidiary legislation.

•Factories (Registration and Other Services - Fees and Forms)

•Factories (Safety Training Courses) Order

WSH Act: what is a factory

In accordance with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act, certain types of workplaces are defined as factories.

Definition of a factory

A factory is any premises in which any of the following is carried out:

.The making of any article or part of any article.

.The alteration, repair, ornamentation, finishing, cleaning or washing of any article.

.Breaking up or demolishing any article.

.Adapting any article for sale.

Examples of factories include manufacturing plants, car-servicing workshops, shipyards and construction work-sites.

What is considered a factory

The following premises are considered to be factories:

.Construction

.Any premises where building operations or any work of engineering construction are carried out.

Manufacturing

Any premises:
.Using an assembly-line manufacturing process to manufacture any goods or products using mechanical power, for the purposes of trade or gain (excludes restaurants or kitchens).

.Used for the manufacturing of fabricated metal products, machinery or equipment, for the purposes of trade or gain.

.Used for the manufacturing of wood products using mechanical power, for the purposes of trade or gain.

.Used for the production of gas for commercial sale.

.Used for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

General

Any premises where:

.Mechanical power is used in connection with making or repairing any article as part of any business carried on for trade or gain.

.Mechanical power is used in connection with sorting, packing, handling or storing articles for trade, gain or as part of another business.

.Articles are made or prepared incidentally to any building operations or any work of engineering construction, not being premises in which such operations or work are being carried out.

.Flammable, corrosive or toxic substances

Any premises:

.Used for the processing or manufacturing of flammable, corrosive or toxic substances, including petroleum, petroleum products, petrochemical or petrochemical products.

.Where the treatment, coating or electroplating of metal products involving the use of flammable, corrosive or toxic substances is carried out.

.Where the washing or filling of bottles, containers or vessels that contain or had contained flammable, corrosive or toxic substances is carried out. This excludes premises where vehicles are filled with fuel as a commercial undertaking.

Printing

Any premises where printing by letter press, offset, lithography, photogravure, rotogravure or other similar process, or the binding of such printed materials, is carried out.

Storage facilities:

Any premises:

.Used for the storage of gas (including liquefied gas) in a container having a storage capacity of not less than 140 cubic metres. This excludes premises where gas is stored for filling vehicles with fuel as a commercial undertaking.

.Used for the bulk storage of toxic or flammable liquid (excluding liquefied gas) in a container, not being an underground container, that has a storage capacity of not less than 5,000 cubic metres.

Shipyards

.Any yard (including any dock, wharf, jetty, quay and the surrounding area) where the construction, reconstruction, repair, refitting, finishing or breaking up of ships is carried out. It includes the waters adjacent to any such yard where the construction, reconstruction, repair, refitting, finishing or breaking up of ships is carried out by or on behalf of the occupier of that yard.

Utilities

.Any premises where work is carried out for generating electrical energy for trade or gain.

.Any premises where mechanical power is used for or in connection with a water supply.

.Any sewage works that use mechanical power and pumping stations.

Vehicle repair

Any premises where the construction, reconstruction or repair of locomotives, aircraft, vehicles or other plant used for transport purposes is carried on as ancillary to a transport undertaking or other industrial or commercial undertaking. This excludes premises used for housing locomotives, aircraft or vehicles where only cleaning, washing, running repairs or minor adjustments are carried out

WSH Act

 Workplace Safety and Health Act: what it covers

The Workplace Safety and Health Act covers the safety, health and welfare of persons at work in a workplace. It requires stakeholders to take reasonably practicable steps for the safety and health of workers and others affected by work.

What is the Workplace Safety and Health Act

The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act is an essential part of a framework to cultivate good safety habits in all individuals, so as to create a strong safety culture in workplaces.

The WSH Act requires stakeholders to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of persons at the workplace.

The three guiding principles of the WSH Act are to:

Reduce risk at the source by requiring all stakeholders to remove or minimise the risk they create.

Encourage industries to adopt greater ownership of safety and health outcomes.

Impose higher penalties for poor safety management and outcomes

Key features

The WSH Act has four key features:

It places responsibilities on stakeholders who have it within their control to ensure safety at the workplace.

It focuses on workplace safety and health systems and outcomes, rather than merely on compliance.

It facilitates effective enforcement through the issuance of remedial orders.

It imposes higher penalties for non-compliance and risky behaviour

What it covers

The WSH Act covers the following:

.All workplaces, unless exempted.

.Responsibilities of stakeholders.

.Hazardous substances.

.Machinery and equipment.

What is a workplace

A workplace is any place where a person carries out work or is to work. Some of these workplaces are further classified as a factory.

Responsibilities of stakeholders 

The WSH Act outlines the responsibilities of stakeholders. They include employers, principals, occupiers, manufacturers or suppliers (including hazardous substances and machinery and equipment), installers or erectors, employees and the self-employed

WSH Act: responsibilities of stakeholders

The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act defines the responsibilities for each stakeholder group, such as employers, occupiers, employees and self-employed.

Under the WSH Act, the stakeholders and their responsibilities are as follows:

Employer

As an employer, you must protect the safety and health of your employees or workers working under your direction, as well as persons who may be affected by their work.

You must:

• Conduct risk assessments to identify hazards and implement effective risk control measures.
• Make sure the work environment is safe.
• Make sure adequate safety measures are taken for any machinery, equipment, plant, article or process used at the workplace.
• Develop and implement systems for dealing with emergencies.
• Ensure workers are provided with sufficient instruction, training and supervision so that they can work safely

Principal

A principal is any person or organisation who engages another person or organisation to supply labour or perform work under a contract for service.

As a principal, you must ensure that the contractor you engage:

• Is able to perform the work they are engaged for.
• Has made sure that any machinery, equipment, plant, article or process that is used at work is safe.
• However, if you instruct the contractor or the workers on how the work is to be carried out, your duties will include the duties of an employer.

Occupier

In workplaces registered or notified as a factory, the occupier is the person who holds the certificate of registration. In all other workplaces, the occupier is the person who has control of the premises, regardless of whether they are the owner of those premises.

As an occupier, you must ensure that the following are safe:

• The workplace.
• All pathways to and from the place of work.
• Machinery, equipment, plants, articles and substances.

You must ensure that the above does not pose a risk to anyone within your premises, even if the person is not your employee.

You may also be responsible for the common areas used by your employees and contractors. Common areas include the following:

• Electric generators and motors.
• Hoists and lifts, lifting gears, lifting appliances and lifting machines.
• Entrances and exits.
• Machinery and plants.

Manufacturer or supplier

As a manufacturer or supplier, you must ensure that any machinery and equipment or hazardous substances you provide are safe.

You must:

• Provide information on health hazards and how to safely use the machinery, equipment or hazardous substance.
• Examine and test the machinery, equipment or hazardous substance to ensure that it is safe for use.
• Provide results of any examinations or tests of the machinery, equipment or hazardous substances.

Installer or erector of machinery

• You must ensure that the machinery and equipment that you have erected, installed or modified is safe and without safety or health risks when properly used

Employee

As an employee, you must:

• Follow the workplace safety and health system, safe work procedures or safety rules implemented at the workplace.
• Not engage in any unsafe or negligent act that may endanger yourself or others working around you.
• Use personal protective equipment provided to you to ensure your safety while working. You must not tamper with or misuse the equipment.

Self-employed

• You are required to take measures to ensure the safety and health of anyone in the workplace who may be affected by your work.

CP RM 3rd edition

As Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Risk Management (“RM”) gains momentum in Singapore, more duty holders are beginning to recognise the value and benefits of Risk Assessment (“RA”) in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. Duty holders and employees alike are seeking greater clarity on the implementation of RA. To address this and provide useful guidance, the WSH Council formed an industry-led RM Work Group with members from major industry sectors to develop the Code of Practice on WSH Risk Management (herein referred to as “Risk Management Code of Practice” or “RMCP”).

The RMCP advises duty holders on their obligations under the Workplace Safety and Health Act (“WSH Act”) and the WSH (Risk Management) Regulations. It also provides guidance on a systematic process for implementing RM, from the identification of hazards, and the evaluation of associated risks, to the implementation of relevant risk controls.

Much consideration has been given to make the RMCP applicable to large and small companies across industries, as the risk profiles and needs of workplaces and their methods of RM deployment differ significantly.

Large companies tend to have a dedicated RM Team to oversee the consistent deployment of RM throughout the organisation. At the same time, it is also usual for these companies to have multiple RA Teams to look at specific risks or work processes. The RMCP offers clarity in the roles of the different teams and/or individuals.

Smaller companies, on the other hand, often need specific guidance in implementing RM. To assist this segment, the RMCP defines stakeholders’ responsibilities and provides information on RM implementation. The RMCP also recommends the 5x5 risk matrix for risk evaluation; however, it does not restrict companies to their choice of RA methodologies and risk matrices.

In the second revision, the principles of RM were introduced so that companies can implement RM more effectively. Human and cultural factors (referred to as “personal health risks and organisation factors” in the third revision) influence RAs and should be considered when companies conduct RAs. The revised RMCP also recommends some possible roles that a human resource manager could play to complement those other duty holders for a holistic RM.

In view of a heightened awareness of occupational health hazards in the industry, the risk evaluation of health hazards is included to enhance the overall assessment of workplace hazards. Upstream risk controls in the hierarchy of control, for example, from elimination and substitution to engineering controls, are emphasised for their relative importance in managing workplace risks.

In the third revision, considerations of our workplaces’ preparedness for terrorism threats, disease outbreaks, and mental well-being are introduced. The threat of terrorism is real and present. Included in this RMCP is the Singapore WSH Community’s response to this threat that Singapore faces and is a requirement under WSHC’s bizSAFE programme. Living with COVID-19 has also reinforced the need to mitigate infectious disease transmission risk in the workplace. The growing risk to mental well-being, already present in pre-COVID times but now exacerbated by the pandemic, also behoves companies to update their RM processes to account for mental health.

To learn more click

WSH Guidelines -Improving Workplace Ergonomics

WSH Guidelines -Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace

What is WSH Guidelines 

WSH Guidelines showcased workplace safety and health best practices and WSH program for controlling workplace hazards and improving occupational health for various industry and program 

Check out the free WSH Guidelines - Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace to improve your organization WSH practices. For the latest WSH Guidelines update, refer to Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council Website.

WSH Guideline -Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace Scope

What is Ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the term applied to the field of science that studies and designs human-machine,human-tool, human-work environment and human-human interfaces to prevent injury and illness and improve work performance. It is a multi-disciplinary science drawing on anatomy, biomechanics, anthropometry, physiology, psychology, sociology, physics, engineering and medicine.

Putting in place an ergonomics programme in the workplace helps prevent work-related MSDs and injuries. Timely ergonomics intervention can also help employees with existing MSDs reduce the stresses on their bodies so that they can continue working.

This set of guidelines outlines how to develop an in-house ergonomics programme for a company or organisation to manage ergonomics problems and work-related MSDs at the workplace. Employees and employers can also obtain information on good ergonomics practices and the prevention of work-related injury or illness. In particular, through using this guidelines, workplace, equipment, task or job design can be better matched to the capabilities of the working population, including pregnant employees, older workers or those with functional limitations.

The guidelines will cover the legal requirements relevant to ergonomics in the workplace,risk factors of work-related MSDs, how to prevent ergonomics-related injuries and how to implement an ergonomics programme.

To learn more click

WSH Guidelines -Workplace Housekeeping

WSH Guidelines -Workplace Housekeeping

What is WSH Guidelines 

WSH Guidelines showcased workplace safety and health best practices and WSH program for controlling workplace hazards and improving occupational health for various industry and program 

Check out the free WSH Guidelines Workplace Housekeepingto improve your organization WSH practices. For the latest WSH Guidelines update, refer to Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council Website.

WSH Guideline -Workplace Housekeeping Scope

This guide introduces the 5S concept of housekeeping and how it can be used to enhance WSH and improve workplace efficiency and productivity at the same time. Good housekeeping initiatives support WSH culture-building efforts and can be used to enhance the “Ownership and Teamwork” attribute of the WSH CultureSAFE Mode

To learn more click

WSH Guidelines -Workplace Traffic Safety Management

WSH Guidelines -Workplace Traffic Safety Management

What is WSH Guidelines 

WSH Guidelines showcased workplace safety and health best practices and WSH program for controlling workplace hazards and improving occupational health for various industry and program .

Check out the free WSH Guidelines -WSH Guidelines -Workplace Traffic Safety Management to improve your organization WSH practices. For the latest WSH Guidelines update, refer to Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council Website.

WSH Guideline -WSH Guidelines -Workplace Traffic Safety Management Scope

Workplace traffic management is an integral part of operations for many industrial sectors; including but not limited to the construction, marine and logistics industries. If workplace traffic is not managed well, it can lead to damaged vehicles properties as well as fatalities and/or serious injuries in the workplace and public areas.

This set of guidelines highlights potential hazards when vehicles are used on the roads and within workplace premises. The guideline is recommended for companies who own transport1 or goods vehicles such as prime movers, lorries, vans, tipper trucks, dumpers, concrete mixers, and so on. This publication also recommends good industry practices through the establishment of a traffic management plan.

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WSH Guidelines-Management of Hazardous Substances

WSH Guidelines-Management of Hazardous Substances

What is WSH Guidelines 

WSH Guidelines showcased workplace safety and health best practices and WSH program for controlling workplace hazards and improving occupational health for various industry and program 

Check out the free WSH Guideline --Management of Hazardous Substances to improve your organization WSH practices. For the latest WSH Guidelines update, refer to Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council Website.

WSH Guideline --Management of Hazardous Substances Scope

The main objective of the Management of Hazardous Chemicals Programme is to prevent and control chemical hazards at workplace, and safeguard the health and safety of persons against chemical hazards within the plant.

The Management of Hazardous Chemicals Programme enhances chemical safety and prevents chemical-related injuries, illnesses or diseases at the workplace.

A Management of Hazardous Chemicals Programme is required if any hazardous chemical is used or handled at a workplace. Hazardous chemicals can be classified under the following categories:

• Corrosive substances

• Flammable substances

• Explosives

• Oxidising substances

• Pyrophoric substances

• Gases under pressure

• Organic peroxides

• Self-heating substances

• Self-reactive substances

• Substances which when in contact with water, emit flammable gases

• Toxic substances

• Mutagens

• Carcinogens

• Teratogens

• Sensitizers

• Irritants

• Substances hazardous to aquatic environment

To learn more click