21 NTUC U Safe Awardees Exemplify High Workplace Safety Standards

~ NTUC U Safe Forum and Awards 2024 recognises award winners, comprising unions and companies, for their contributions to creating a safer and healthier workplace for workers ~

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) hosted today the NTUC U Safe Forum and Awards 2024, with the theme “Building a Safer Workplace Culture Together”. This year, a total of 21 unions and companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), received the NTUC U Safe Award, which recognises their efforts in championing a healthier and safer workplace for workers. The event, held at the Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability today, was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Manpower, Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

This year’s awards were conferred to unions, unionised companies as well as NTUC U SME partners, who have shown exemplary efforts in upholding high workplace safety standards. These efforts range from adopting workplace safety and health (WSH) technology to monitoring workplace safety and taking care of the health and mental wellbeing of workers.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, also announced that for the first time ever, the national workplace fatal injury rate had fallen below 1.0 per 100,000 workers. This is a significant achievement as only four OECD countries have consistently achieved this rate: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden.

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Mr Melvin Yong delivered the opening speech at the event and said, “I am encouraged by the reduction in the workplace fatal injury rate for 2023. This achievement is possible because of the concerted efforts by the tripartite partners to protect and safeguard our workers. But it is important to remember that workplace safety is not just a set of rules and regulations. It is a culture that must be embraced by all, especially through open communication and collaboration between company management, union, and workers. By working closely together, we can better identify potential hazards, address safety issues, and implement preventive measures because every worker matters, and every worker deserves a safe working environment.”

Unions and companies recognised for their efforts in keeping workers and workplaces safe and participation in WSH campaign

At the NTUC U Safe Forum and Awards 2024, three different award categories were presented:

a. U Safe Advocate Award (For Unions)
Conferred to four unions who:
i. Demonstrated commitment to workplace safety by establishing a WSH sub-committee, establishing reporting channels, training union leaders, setting WSH goals, and promoting staff participation in WSH training and forums.
ii. Proactively promoted WSH best practices, information, and initiatives.
iii. Actively tracked the WSH performances of the Union Branches and are involved in helping union leaders work with management to improve injury performance.

b. U Safe Champions Award (For Companies)
Conferred to 14 unionised companies who:
i. Showcased exceptional WSH performance through continuous monitoring, analysis, and implementation of targeted programmes to enhance workplace safety. Additionally, exhibit a comprehensive approach to injury prevention, health promotion, and a strong senior management commitment to WSH.
ii. Actively engaged internal and external stakeholders in WSH, fostered regular collaboration with unions on WSH matters, implemented workplace safety programs to cultivate a robust safety culture, and introduced initiatives supporting both physical and mental well-being.
iii. Adopted innovative solutions to address WSH issues, including the use of technology.
iv. Participated in NTUC’s ‘Spot, Stop, Report’ WSH campaign in September 2023.

c. U Safe U SME Award (For SMEs)
Conferred to three SMEs who:
i. Are partners of NTUC U SME and demonstrated the same attributes as the companies in Para 4(b).

Out of the 21 awardees, four are from NTUC’s affiliated unions including the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), and the Building Construction And Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU). Another 14 awardees hail from public service companies, such as the PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, and SBS Transit Rail, with an additional three being U SME partners, including companies like Caison Engineering. For more details of the awardees, please refer to the Annex below.

Companies who participated in NTUC’s “Spot, Stop and Report” saw an increase in reports relating to workplace safety and health

In addition to the NTUC U Safe Forum and Awards, NTUC continues to champion the importance of workplace safety and health in Singapore through other platforms. These demonstrate NTUC’s WSH commitment which is aligned with the national 2028 WSH goal to achieving a fatal injury rate of less than 1.0 per 100,000 workers.

In support of the national 2028 WSH goal, NTUC held the “Spot, Stop and Report” WSH campaign in September 2023. It aimed to foster a reporting culture where workers feel empowered to speak up for safety by reporting safety concerns and unsafe practices to management without fear of reprisal or retaliation. The recently concluded campaign received good response from more than 10 companies.

For example, bus operator Tower Transit saw its feedback rate increase to an average of 3 to 4 per month, a significant improvement from receiving one feedback every quarter previously. Property management firm, Marina Properties Pte Ltd, also experienced an increase in its feedback rate to an average of 37 per month, up from 34.9 per month. These results underscore the effectiveness of the campaign, as more workers felt empowered to report WSH concerns to their management, to make their workplace a safer for everyone.

ASG Mr Melvin Yong added, “We are encouraged by the positive response from our companies and workers to NTUC’s “Spot, Stop and Report” campaign. NTUC will continue to actively collaborate with the Ministry of Manpower and employers to develop and promote workplace safety and health (WSH) initiatives and enable a safe and healthy work environment for our workers. We encourage workers to continue engaging their management and unions to identify potential hazards related to WSH and take action to mitigate these hazards for everyone’s safety.”