Singapore's WSH performance in 1H2024 shows sustained progress from 2023

Singapore's Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance continued to improve in the first half (1H) of 2024, building on the significant progress achieved in 2023. The annualised fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers held steady at 1.0, maintaining the level first achieved in 2023 (setting aside 2020 when COVID-19 disrupted work). Only four OECD countries – United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany – have consistently achieved such performance. 

2 The annualised major injury rate for 1H2024 was 16.0 per 100,000 workers, consistent with the rate in 2H2023 (16.1) and showing an improvement from 1H2023 (17.4). 

Improved safety performance for key sectors

3 Construction, Manufacturing, and Transportation & Storage remained the top three contributors to fatal and major injuries in 1H2024. However, the total proportion of fatal and major injuries attributed to these three industries decreased from 63% in 1H2023 to 54% in 1H2024, driven by sustained improvements in Construction and Manufacturing. 

4 The Construction sector remained the largest (26%) contributor to fatal and major injury incidents, with the number of fatal and major injuries at larger scale construction sites increasing slightly from 28 in 1H2023 to 31 in 1H2024. Nonetheless, this remains significantly lower than the 43 in 1H2022. The Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST) has further strengthened WSH standards in the Construction sector with additional Safety Accountability, Focus and Empowerment (SAFE) measures implemented in early to mid-2024. These include enhanced WSH requirements for public sector construction and construction-related projects (implemented in April 2024), and mandatory video surveillance systems for construction worksites with contract values of $5 million and above (implemented in June 2024).  

5 The Manufacturing sector also saw a substantial reduction in the number of fatal and major injuries, from  92 in 1H2023 to 60 in 1H2024. This progress was likely due to more rigorous inspections and the Demerit Point System implemented in October 2023.

Enforcement efforts to continue

6 While we are heartened by the significant progress made, the Ministry of Manpower will not let up in our enforcement efforts. For the first half of this year, MOM conducted more than 3,000 inspections across various industries, including higher-risk industries such as Construction, Manufacturing and Marine. Aside from general workplace safety, there were also targeted inspections focusing on priority areas – slips, trips & falls, machinery safety, and falls from height. MOM took enforcement actions for more than 7,000 breaches under the WSH Act and Regulations, which included 673 composition fines amounting more than $1.3 million, and the issuing of 22 Stop Work Orders. These actions were meted out to errant companies found to have contravened rules put in place to protect workers. 

Imperative for all employers and workers to remain vigilant

7 The encouraging WSH performance in the first half of 2024 reflects the collective efforts of all stakeholders in pursuing a culture of WSH excellence. MOM calls on employers and workers to remain vigilant and prioritise WSH, particularly in light of recent fatal incidents in the Construction and Marine industries. MAST will continue to explore ways to further enhance WSH across all sectors.