Speech at Launch of the National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign

Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister , Suntec City Tropics Atrium

Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman,
Workplace Safety and Health Council

Mr Stephen Lee, President,
Singapore National Employers Federation

Mr John de Payva, President,
National Trades Union Congress

Distinguished guests,

Industry leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning

I am pleased to join you today to launch the National Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Campaign 2009.

FACING THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

2. We have made significant gains in improving our workplace safety standards and outcomes over the past few years. Since we launched our new workplace safety and health, or WSH, framework, the workplace fatality rate has declined steadily from 4.9 fatalities per 100,000 employees in 2004 to 2.8 last year.

3. But these early gains should not lead us into complacency. In fact, in 2007 and 2008, despite lowering fatality rates, we saw a higher number of workplace fatalities and injuries in absolute terms. Most, if not all, of these accidents could have been avoided.

4. We must, therefore, do more to improve safety standards. We must not allow our pace of improvement to slacken, nor can we allow our safety performance to stagnate. Businesses and workers are currently grappling with the impact of the economic downturn. With business viability and job security foremost on their minds, our challenge is to keep WSH firmly on the agenda, to ensure it remains a priority for companies and workers while we tackle the downturn.

WSH 2018 – BUILDING SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENTS IN WSH

5. To help companies take their WSH performance to the next level, the Ministry of Manpower and the WSH Council have jointly drafted a new national plan for WSH, known as WSH 2018¹. The initiatives under WSH 2018 are aimed not only at further improving WSH standards and outcomes, but also sustaining these improvements over the long run. Our aim is to bring the workplace fatality rate to below 1.8 per 100,000 workers by the year 2018. If we achieve this, we will have one of the best workplace safety and health records in the world. Let me touch on three key aspects of WSH 2018.

Sectoral Plans

6. The first focal area is the development of sectoral plans. Many of the initiatives under WSH 2018 are applicable across industries. But we also recognise that many of the challenges facing companies are unique to the operating environment and work processes of the sector they are in. The sectoral plans under WSH 2018 are aimed at addressing the specific needs of higher-risk sectors, to deliver targeted and effective interventions.

7. As a start, the WSH Council will be releasing draft plans for the construction and marine sectors within the next three months for public consultation. These two sectors consistently account for over half the total number of workplace fatalities annually and it is critical that we push the envelope in finding new and innovative strategies to improve their safety outcomes.

8. One important feature of these sectoral plans is the setting of specific WSH targets for the various industries. Both the construction and marine sectors have signalled their strong support for WSH 2018 and the development of sectoral plans. They are prepared to commit to halving their respective fatality rates within 5 years. This would translate to a fatality rate of 3.5 for the construction sector and 4.6 for the marine sector. Both industries will also aim to bring their fatality rate to below 1.8 by 2018. These targets are on par with the world's best in safety and health. To illustrate, the UK's latest construction fatality rate stands at 3.4 per 100,000 employees. The United Kingdom is known for its strong safety records. Hence, the industry has set ambitious targets and I am extremely encouraged by this strong show of commitment by industry leaders in these two sectors.

9. To help the industries achieve these targets, we aim to roll out a series of programmes addressing the key challenges and any gaps in safety management. For instance, one of the key programmes under the construction and marine draft plans is the implementation of a Fall Protection Plan at all marine and construction workplaces. Working at heights is a common activity in these two sectors. Over the past four years, falls from heights accounted for some 50% of deaths in the construction sector. It is also one of the recurrent problems in the marine sector. A Fall Protection Plan will systematically identify fall hazards in the workplace and put in place fall prevention measures like barricades and safe access to and from work areas. It would also include downstream measures such as emergency response and post-accident investigation procedures. MOM and the WSH Council will work with the industry partners to help companies develop a programme that suits their needs.

10. Following the development of sectoral plans for the construction and marine sectors, the WSH Council will launch similar plans for others sectors such as transport and logistics. I am confident that our industry partners will rise to the challenge of make our workplaces in these sectors amongst the safest in the world.

Training – Extending Reach and Depth

11. The second focal area under WSH 2018 is training. We want to extend both the reach and depth of our training efforts. In terms of reach, we want to grow the pool of WSH professionals supporting companies to manage WSH. Let me reiterate my call to all school-leavers and PMETs to seriously consider WSH as a choice career. There are many opportunities in the field, as we aim to add another 2,000 trained WSH Coordinators, Officers and Auditors annually over the next 5 years.

12. We also want to deepen the expertise of our WSH professionals and workers. For WSH professionals, we will be enhancing the WSH Professionals Workforce Skills Qualification, or WSQ, framework to allow them to develop expertise in specialised areas such as Behavioural Safety and Environmental Management. For workers, I am pleased to announce that the WSH Council's Marine Industry Committee has worked with the WDA to complete the development of 13 modules under the Trade-Specific WSH for Marine Industry WSQ framework². These modules cover trades such as welding, tank cleaning and scaffolding. The major shipyards have committed to training and certifying a total of 10,000 workers over the next three years. The Council will be developing trade-specific modules for the construction sector next.

13. The new Marine Industries Training Centre that the Association for Marine Industries (ASMI) will be establishing can serve as a focal point for training activities within the marine sector. Similar to what has been done for the construction sector through the SCAL Academy, the Marine Industries Training Centre will be a one-stop centre providing training in areas ranging from trade-specific skills, to more broad-based skills such as WSH management for the marine industry.

Building a Progressive and Pervasive Safety Culture

14. Finally, WSH 2018 will focus on building a progressive and pervasive safety culture which is fundamental to sustained improvements in WSH. The provision of WSH training and risk control measures and the establishment of safe work procedures are critical in raising safety standards at the workplace. However, having a strong safety culture underpins the success of all these efforts. Employers and occupiers must view the safety and health of all employees as a priority and see all workplace incidents as preventable. This will ensure that good WSH practices are put in place. Likewise, it is only when workers 'think safety first' – by taking personal responsibility for their safety and that of their fellow workers – that safe work procedures will be adhered to diligently and safety equipment used properly.

15. To nurture a strong safety culture, the WSH Council will be developing a WSH culture index system. This index system will help companies assess the state of their WSH culture – whether it is substandard or progressive – and help them identify areas for improvement. This will also allow the Council to better tailor its capability building efforts.

16. Our intention is to eventually help all sectors develop their own WSH culture indices that take into account the unique features of the WSH hazards and business operations of each industry. But as a start, we will focus on developing indices for the higher-risk sectors first, starting with the marine and construction sectors.

WORKING TOGETHER

17. Raising WSH standards and outcomes is a collective effort where all stakeholders – industry, workers and the Government – must play a part. We cannot succeed without their commitment and support. The gains Singapore has made on the WSH front are a testament to the efforts and contributions of our partners. Let me commend the WSH Council and other industry partners such as ASMI and SCAL for the leadership they have shown in enhancing WSH practices.

18. The workers and unions are another important partner. Being on the ground, workers are the ones directly exposed to WSH risks. They are also best placed to proactively flag out to their employers potential workplace hazards and suggest what measures can be taken to eliminate such risks. I would like to urge all workers to see safety not as an SOP imposed on you by your employers, but as your personal responsibility – to yourself, to your fellow workers, and to your families.

19. On the Government's part, we will continue to support companies in building their WSH capabilities. To better help companies grow and strengthen their risk management capabilities, MOM and the Council have reviewed the Risk Management Assistance Fund (RMAF). Since the Fund was launched in 2006, a total of $13 million has been committed. We have also developed a better understanding of the needs of SMEs to build such capabilities. We are therefore re-calibrating the level of support provided to SMEs. From 1st May, we will raise the co-funding quantum under the RMAF from the current 70% to 90% of the cost incurred. We are also raising the maximum cap for funding from $3,500 to $6,000.

CONCLUSION

20. In conclusion, let me once again thank the WSH Council and other partners for their support and contributions to WSH. I am confident that, with your continued support, we can work together to achieve higher workplace safety and health standards in Singapore even in a recession. I wish all of you a meaningful and fulfilling National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign. Thank you.

¹ Please see Annex A for a summary of WSH 2018.

² Please see Annex B for the Fact Sheet.