A crackdown on unsafe work practices has had little impact on accident statistics in Singapore, the country’s Ministry of Manpower has revealed.
The “Heightened Safety Period” that had been in place since September last year, has been extended by a further three months. Under the temporary rules, companies face tighter enforcement measures against incidents and workplace safety and health violations.
In addition to the three month extension, the maximum fines for violations have also been increased, from SGD 20,000 to SGD 50,000 now. The Ministry says it is also increasing the availability and communication of channels for workers to raise workplace safety concerns.
While the workplace fatality rate fell to 0.8 every 100,000 workers between September and December last year, the major injury rate grew from 16.8 to 18.7 in the same period.
The impact of the Heightened Safety Period was found to be uneven across sectors, with building and construction showing the most improvement. The transportation sector only improved its fatality rate by a minor percentage, and increased its injury rate over the first part of the campaign.
