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Written Answer by Mr Lim Swee Say Minister for Manpower to Parliamentary Question on work-related traffic accidents involving food delivery and courier services staff

Workplace safety and health

NOTICE PAPER NO. 836 OF 2017 FOR THE SITTING ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2017

QUESTION NO. 608 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of work-related traffic accidents involving food delivery and courier service staff in the past three years; and (b) what are the measures taken by the Ministry to reduce the number of such accidents.

Answer

  1. From 2014 to 2016, there were 6 work-related traffic accidents that resulted in death, and 12 cases1 that resulted in serious injury, involving food delivery and courier services riders/drivers.
  2. With the growth of delivery services, MOM is collaborating with the WSH Council, tripartite partners, Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority to step up our engagement efforts with companies and riders/drivers.
  3. To spread safety awareness among riders, the Singapore Ride Safe Campaign was launched on 19 August 2017. It sought to inculcate safe riding habits such as avoiding blind spots, keeping within speed limits, and wearing proper protective gear.
  4. To improve safety practices for companies, WSH Council has initiated regular engagement sessions to share best practices. These include providing proper protective gear for delivery riders/drivers2, sending them for advanced training such as defensive driving or riding courses, conducting in-house safety training, and installing vehicle/helmet-mounted cameras for greater safety consciousness.
  5. For both riders/drivers and companies, the WSH Council, in collaboration with key industry partners and unions, has also developed educational resources including videos and guides on safe driving tips. These are made available on the WSH Council website. WSH Council will also develop a guide on safe motorcycle, bicycle and PMD riding by the end of the year. It will contain advice on road traffic rules, hazard avoidance, and safety checklists.
  6. At the same time, we have stepped up enforcement efforts. Since July, MOM has targeted 50 food delivery and courier services companies for inspection. This will be completed by September. The inspections will focus on companies’ measures related to training, fatigue management, and risk management to improve the safety of delivery riders/drivers.
  7. All these measures seek to improve workplace safety for delivery riders/drivers. We are also looking into helping self-employed delivery persons get adequate insurance coverage. A Tripartite Workgroup has been formed to look into this matter as well as address other main concerns of self-employed persons. This was announced by the Ministry in its Committee of Supply debate this year.

FOOTNOTE

  1. 2014: 1 fatality, 4 serious injuries; 2015: 4 fatalities, 4 serious injuries; 2016: 1 fatality, 4 serious injuries
  2. This include employees or freelancers who use all modes of transport such as vans, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and personal mobile devices (PMDs) for delivery.