All stakeholders play important role in improving workplace safety

• The Straits Times (23 September 2016): All stakeholders play important role in improving workplace safety
• The Straits Times (7 September 2016): Employers must change mindset on safety

1. We thank Mr Rajasegaran Ramasamy for his feedback ("Employers must change mindset on safety"; Forum Online, Sept 6).
2. We share Mr Ramasamy's view that employers cannot adopt an indifferent attitude towards workplace safety and health (WSH).
3. Under the WSH Act, employers bear primary responsibility for managing risks at work and have to take full ownership of the safety and health matters of their employees.
4. The suggestion to have independent WSH officers from the Ministry of Manpower or accredited firms to take charge of WSH at the workplace, therefore, runs counter to the principle of greater industry ownership in safety, health and accident prevention.
5. The latter is more sustainable, where employers work closely with their WSH officers to drive WSH improvements on the ground, and be committed to this collective effort to nurture a progressive and pervasive WSH culture in their organisations.
6. Time pressure to complete construction projects within deadlines cannot be an excuse to compromise on the safety and health of workers.
7. The enactment of the WSH (Design for Safety) Regulations in August will ensure that safety considerations are incorporated into the design and planning of construction projects. This includes ensuring sufficient time and resources are allocated for the safe completion of projects.
8. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders, including employers, developers and designers, to ensure the safety of our workers.
9. We will also be intensifying our outreach to workers so that they can take personal responsibility and know when to report unsafe work practices.
10. There will be no let-up in our collective efforts to improve WSH performance because every worker deserves to go home safe every day.

Employers must change mindset on safety
- The Straits Times, 7 September 2016

1. Though I am appalled to read that the fatality rate in Singapore's workplaces is set to rise further this year, I am not surprised ("Workplace fatality rate set to rise this year"; Aug 25).
2. It was reported that nine in 10 deaths occurred because workers overlooked safety issues.
3. I am sure no worker comes here to lose his life. Many have to borrow money in their home countries and leave behind their loved ones in order to come here to work and make their lives better. Hence, working unsafely is the last thing they want to do.
4. But a worker who has a huge loan to settle would not want to go against his employer's direction and risk being sent back for defying orders, even if he is forced to work in an unsafe environment.
5. As long as employers have the mindset that workplace safety infringement is inevitable, and treat risk assessment and permit-to-work systems as merely paper exercises, we can be assured that the fatality rate in our workplaces will increase.
6. Currently, most of the workplace safety and health officers come under the payroll of the main contractors. Hence, how much influence can they exert? What more can they do other than give advice?
7. I suggest that there be independent safety officers from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) or accredited firms to take charge of safety in the workplace.
8. These officers can act independently and without fear. They can issue stop-work orders and copy them to MOM for record or further action. Contractors and developers will, consequently, beef up safety measures.
9. Another area MOM should look at is the restrictions on the time frame the contractors have to complete their projects.
10. Some contractors may be hard pressed to complete the work or risk facing liquidated damages for failure to finish on time.
11. Thus, a longer time frame to complete the work should be accorded to the contractors if we are serious about safety issues.