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Written Answer by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Minister for Manpower, to Parliamentary Question on workplace safety standards at bizSAFE-certified companies

Mr Yaw Shin Leong: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Manpower whether bizSafe-certified companies have better workplace safety standards than non-bizSafe companies in their workplace safety rate per 100,000 employed workers in the areas of (i) fatal injuries (ii) injuries resulting in permanent disablement and (iii) injuries resulting in temporary disablement.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam:

The WSH Act was extended to cover all workplaces in Sept last year. Central to this is the idea that businesses are responsible for safety outcomes at the workplace and must do so by effectively managing risks at the workplace. Proper risk assessment will enable companies to identify and mitigate the risks involved in their work processes, and communicate these risks to employees.

In 2007, the WSH Council launched the bizSAFE programme to help companies build up their Risk Assessment capabilities. It is a voluntary programme, particularly targeted at SMEs. The 5-tier programme starts by educating the company’s top management. A critical milestone in the programme is bizSAFE level 3. Only companies that have demonstrated their ability to effectively conduct Risk Assessment, as audited by MOM-approved WSH auditors, are accorded bizSAFE level 3 status. bizSAFE Stars are awarded to businesses with comprehensive WSH management systems in place and who have obtained the Singapore Standard on Occupational Safety and Health management systems or equivalent certifications.

Whilst we do not have empirical evidence to conclude that companies who have attained bizSAFE levels 3 and above have lower accident rates, anecdotal evidence suggests that bizSAFE is a useful programme. Since the introduction of bizSAFE in 2007, the number of bizSAFE companies has grown from 550 to more than 10,000 today. This 18-fold jump over a 5-year period is encouraging. Not only does it suggest that awareness of WSH issues amongst SMEs has grown, it also indicates that bizSAFE membership is now seen to be of value, and something that a business must acquire if it wants to compete with firms that are already on board. In fact, several shipyards and main construction contractors have made bizSAFE a requirement for the sub-contractors they engage.

To further build risk assessment capabilities in the industry, the WSH Council offers many online resources and guidelines. Various training courses subsidised by the Skills Development Fund are also available. Where SMEs require further assistance such as consultancy help, they can tap on the Risk Management Assistance Fund (RMAF). This Fund co-funds SMEs when they seek assistance from certified risk consultants to implement RM in their companies.

MOM and the WSH Council will continue to review the bizSAFE programme based on feedback from the industry and fine-tune it to better cater to industry needs.