Oral Answer to PQ on Construction Fatalities in Second Half of 2024
NOTICE PAPER NO. 3318, 3321 AND 3325 OF 2024 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 7 JAN 2025
QUESTION NO. 7021, 7030 AND 7054 FOR ORAL ANSWER
MP: Mr Sharael Taha
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in light of the number of workplace fatalities in 2024 and the implementation of the safety time-out in November 2024, how effective has this measure been in raising safety awareness within the industry; and (b) what additional steps can the Ministry take to further enhance safety awareness and ensure compliance with workplace safety regulations.
MP: Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye
To ask the Minister for with regard to the spike in workplace fatalities in the construction section in the second half of 2024 (a) how many active construction sites participated in the Safety Time-Out called by the Ministry in November 2024; (b) whether the Ministry has analysed if there were any specific reasons behind the sharp rise in workplace fatalities; and (c) how does the Ministry intend to address this concerning trend.
MP: Ms He Ting Ru
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) of the 15 construction workplace deaths in the second half of 2024, how many have involved companies that have been allowed to resume work after only completing general safety reviews following earlier serious incidents; (b) whether the Ministry will automatically require external safety audits and specific structural changes to be implemented before work can resume at sites with fatalities given this stricter approach have successfully reduced deaths during the 2022 heightened safety period; and (c) if not, why not.
Answer:
Mr Speaker Sir, may I have your permission to take three Oral PQs, No. 39, 40 and 41, together on 7 January 2025. In addition, I will address two oral PQs scheduled for the sitting on 8 January 2025, PQ 6961 by Mr Patrick Tay, and PQ 7023 by Mr Louis Chua. These five PQs relate to construction workplace fatalities. I will respond to these questions together, so that I can give a comprehensive reply.
2. Of the 14 construction worksites where the fatalities occurred in the second half of 2024, nine were issued with stop-work orders because their safety management systems were found to be inadequate, posing imminent danger to their workers. These worksites were required to undertake measures, such as reviewing their safety management systems, before they can resume work. None of the 14 incident worksites had previously been issued with stop-work orders.
3. I share the Members’ concern about the increase in workplace fatalities, especially in the construction sector. While the sector’s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance is better than those of many developed countries like Japan, we are not yet on par with top performers like the Netherlands. There is certainly scope for our construction sector to do better.
4. MOM has continued to tighten our enforcement efforts for the construction sector. In 2024, more than 3000 inspections were conducted, targeting key concerns such as Working at Height, Vehicular Safety and Struck by Falling Objects. More recently, we instituted a Safety Time-out in November 2024 to refresh workers’ awareness of WSH practices and reinforce the importance of adhering to safety protocols.
5. To improve industry-level WSH outcomes, the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST), which includes partners such as MND, BCA and the WSH Council Industry Committees, has also introduced several measures to enhance WSH standards in the construction sector. These include (a) subjecting all public construction projects to the Safety Disqualification Framework, which temporarily bars contractors with poor WSH performance from tendering, and (b) requiring all construction worksites with contract values of $5 million and above to install video surveillance systems. The requirement for external safety audits to be conducted following serious lapses remains in effect after the Heightened Safety Period. To strengthen accountability at the leadership level, we have also instituted measures such as requiring Chief Executives and Board Directors in the higher-risk sectors, including construction, to attend the Top Executive WSH Programme.
6. Overall, our fatality rate has fallen over the years, averaging 1.1 per 100,000 workers, and is among the top performers worldwide. However, construction fatalities remain overrepresented in Singapore with almost half of our fatalities coming from the construction sector. The companies and the workers in the sector can certainly do better. On our part, we will monitor the progress of the measures implemented to further improve safety and accountability.
7. I urge all employers and workers to remain alert as we approach the Chinese New Year period, which is typically a time when companies face time pressures to complete projects. MOM will continue with enhanced enforcement efforts during this period. We must not compromise on safety. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every worker returns home safely.