Speech At U Safe Forum 2024 By Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong

Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Brother Zaqy Mohamad NTUC President, Sister K Thanaletchimi,Distinguished Guests, Sisters, and Brothers,

Good morning and thank you for joining us this morning to recognise the contributions of our unions and companies in creating a safer and healthier workplace for workers.

The U Safe Awards are a testament to the collective efforts in prioritising the safety and well-being of workers. Safety is a shared responsibility, and it is a culture that we must foster and uphold.

Many of us often take workplace safety for granted and sometimes even find it troublesome. However, these “troublesome” procedures and protective gear are crucial in safeguarding our workers’ limbs and lives.

Behind the scenes, many individuals and organisations have been working hard to develop, implement and uphold safety standards and procedures for a safe workplace.

I am therefore pleased to share that this year, we have 21 award winners across various sectors. They include NTUC’s affiliated unions such as the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), and the Building Construction And Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU), public services such as the PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, and SBS Transit Rail, and our USME partners such as Caison Engineering.

WSH Culture Building

I am encouraged by the success of concerted efforts among the tripartite partners to protect and safeguard our workers. Over the years, we have seen significant progress in our workplace safety and health outcomes. Together, we have raised penalties for WSH lapses and sent a strong collective message that every worker matters, and every worker deserves a safe work environment.

On mental health, the close collaboration between tripartite partners led to the launch of the National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy in October 2023.

Such progress does not happen overnight, and we should not take it for granted. This is why we are taking the time today to appreciate the often-unseen collaborative efforts between the tripartite partners, which has helped to build a strong culture of trust, so critical for keeping our workplaces safe.

Reporting Without Risk of Retaliation

At the workplace, trust can only come about if workers are allowed to report incidents without the risk of retaliation. That is why the NTUC recently launched and ran the “Spot, Stop and Report” campaign, which focused on promoting a reporting culture where workers feel empowered to speak up for safety.

I want to thank our company management partners and unions who partnered with NTUC on this campaign.

Your strong support reassures workers that safety is of paramount importance, and that employers are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for everyone.

NTUC’s Efforts Towards National 2028 WSH Goal

Our unions and union leaders play a key role in helping us strive towards our Vision Zero Movement. They work closely with the government and key industry leaders to care for their workers, improve work environments, and provide greater protection.

Take for example, Sister K Thanaletchimi, our newly elected NTUC President, and President of the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), who led the union in championing for the prevention of abuse and harassment of healthcare workers. A tripartite workgroup was formed and eventually agreed on a set of recommendations for implementing a zero- tolerance policy against abuse and harassment in healthcare institutions. Sister Thana will share more details about this important workstream in her presentation later.

Besides the “Spot, Stop and Report” campaign, NTUC has also been working with our unions and union leaders to build up their respective WSH capabilities. This includes the training of union leaders in risk assessment and the setting up of dedicated safety committees to facilitate WSH discussions.

To date, NTUC has trained over 1,700 union leaders in WSH. Armed with WSH knowledge, union leaders are better equipped to manage WSH issues on the ground. Trained union leaders can also actively contribute to discussions when deployed to company safety committees to represent workers.

In 2022, the Government set aside $100 million to boost NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative. Companies which have formed CTCs can tap on the CTC Grant to implement transformation plans and train their workforce. This includes adopting WSH-related technologies and equipment or consultancy services.

Dyna-Mac Engineering Services, one of our award recipients today, is a good example of a company that tapped on the CTC Grant to transform their work processes.


The unionised company worked closely with NTUC and the Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Employees' Union to implement a Safety Incident Reporting Software, which allowed its employees to report incidents quickly and efficiently, while minimising errors. By having a centralised reporting platform, Dyna-Mac is now able to better analyse incidents, identify trends, and implement solutions to prevent workplace safety incidents.

If your company has yet to form a CTC, I encourage you to partner NTUC and leverage the resources available through the Labour Movement to enhance your WSH practices.

Mental Well-being Crucial to Workplace Safety

Before I conclude, I would like to highlight that the external environment is not the only source of potential safety and health issues. A worrying trend among workers is chronic stress, which often leads to burnout. In 2019, the World Health Organisation officially recognised burnout as an “occupational phenomenon”.

Stress can be distracting for the affected worker, and a distracted worker increases the risk of workplace accidents. It is therefore important for companies to include comprehensive mental health support as an integral part of strengthening their WSH culture.

Closing Remarks

In closing, it is important that we remember – 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.

Let me once again congratulate our award winners. I hope that the awards will encourage you to continue placing WSH at the topmost agenda of your company and inspire others in your industries to follow suit.

Thank you.