This would put the republic at par with countries like the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands
Singapore is set to reduce workplace deaths to under one in 10,000 over the next decade, according to PM Lee Hsieng Loong. Addressing the 21st World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, his pledge will put the republic at par with countries like the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Today, around 1.8 in 10,000 workers die in work-related incidents annually. Save for a slight bump in 2015, that figure has followed a sharp decline from 2004, with a recorded 5 in 10,000 workers dying at the workplace.
Despite this, workplace accidents are on the rise, with preventable causes like crushing and amputations as leading injury types. Whether the outcomes are fatal or otherwise, the need for safer work environments in Singapore is more imminent than ever.
The government hopes to halve workplace deaths by 2028 through a series of comprehensive, tripartite measures that will incorporate new technologies and introduce support centres to build a safer future for tomorrow’s workforce.
“Using technology to improve all aspects of our lives, including workplace safety and health, is part of our plans to become a Smart Nation,” Lee said.
Among these new measures is a Total Workplace Safety and Health Service Centre to be established by the Ministry of Manpower at Woodlands. Here, companies – especially smaller firms with fewer resources – will find government support in implementing workplace safety and health programmes.
This new centre is set to service about 300 companies employing 3,000 workers.
But past these efforts, Lee stressed that government projects alone will not solve the issues surrounding workplace safety. To incentivise cooperation from the private sector, companies and research institutions will be able to apply for funding towards the development of new solutions.
“We will have to work hard, but I am confident that we can achieve the new target,” Lee said.
