A new Tripartite Guideline on Permit-to-Work (PTW) for the Oil, Petrochemical, Energy and Chemicals (OPEC) Cluster has been launched to increase protection and improve the safety of workers in the OPEC industries, in a bid to uphold the high workplace safety and health (WSH) standards of these industries.
Tripartite initiative to uphold high safety standards of OPEC industries
The Tripartite Guideline on Permit-to-Work for the OPEC Cluster is jointly developed by the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and its unions under its OPEC Cluster, the Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and in consultation with key management partners.
The guideline is the result of a ground-up initiative that stemmed from PTW-related issues voiced by workers who were affected in light of the enactment of the WSH Act in 2006. The Act saw a shift from a prescriptive to a performance-based approach, where responsibility for defining workplace safety and health systems and processes was placed on all stakeholders. This inadvertently resulted in cases where there was lack of clarity and communication on workers’ roles and responsibilities; and concerns that accountability was disproportionately being placed on lower-ranked workers. These contributed to a more anxious working environment.
Acting on the workers’ concerns, the NTUC OPEC Cluster, its unions and the NTUC WSH Secretariat, came up with a proposal to address these issues and subsequently worked closely with MOM to produce a set of guidelines for companies to adopt. Views and feedback from management partners via the SCIC were sought to further fine-tune the guideline.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Director of NTUC WSH Secretariat, said, “Following our engagements with our workers on the ground, NTUC’s WSH Secretariat pushed for the guidelines to be produced to ensure the industry’s safety systems and processes are clearly defined. The guidelines are therefore a result of the partnership between the unions, SCIC, management partners and MOM, who all have the common goal of ensuring our workplaces are safe for our workers.”
Industry standard for PTW in the OPEC industries
The Tripartite Guideline on Permit-to-Work for the OPEC Cluster sets the industry standard for companies to enhance their existing PTW systems, which is an important element of an effective safety and health management system. PTW systems are formal recorded processes used in organisations to control selected work activities to ensure safe execution of work on-site. PTW systems should be considered whenever there is intention to carry out any work which may affect the safety of personnel, the environment or the plant. The guideline therefore serves to:
Mr Ho Siong Hin, Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health, MOM, said, “The PTW system is well established in the OPEC industries. However, the guidelines provide greater clarity on the roles and responsibilities, as well as the required competencies, for both employers and employees in the implementation of the PTW system. Companies should take reference from the guidelines in the customisation of their in-house PTW systems.”
Mr K Karthikeyan, Chairman of NTUC OPEC Cluster said, “Maintaining high standards of health and safety of our workers has always been a priority of the Labour Movement. I strongly urge our OPEC companies to continually review their safety policies and make use of these new guidelines to uphold a high safety standard in the industries.”
The Tripartite Guideline on Permit-to-Work for the OPEC Cluster is available for public access at www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-and-health/safety-and-health-management-systems/permit-to-work-systems.
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