Biopolis@One North, on Tuesday, 31 October 2006, 2 pm.
A very good afternoon to all!
The new Workplace Safety and Health Act has been in place since March 2006. This new Act will eventually, in 2 to 3 years time, cover all workplaces, even those that are not traditionally regarded as factories. Places such as housing estates, where we see a lot of workers working to keep the estates clean, will eventually be covered by the new Act.
Often times, we have seen workers in our housing estates going about their work without adequate Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. For example, those clearing the rubbish might not be wearing proper gloves to protect their hands from cuts, and from exposure to chemicals.
This will be considered an offence once the WSH Act kicks in. Although the new Act does not cover this sector now, it will cover this sector eventually, in 2 to 3 years time. This seminar is therefore a good opportunity for all stakeholders in this sector – from town councils to managing agents to their contractors and workers, to learn about the WSH Act and most importantly, find out about the implications of the WSH Act to their areas of work.
The sad reality is that when an accident happens, it is the worker who is usually the victim, bearing the full brunt of the accident. So like it or not, workers have to play their part in ensuring that the work that they do is safe.
Every worker must take responsibility for safety at their workplaces and look out for the safety of their colleagues. If you see a safety hazard, remove the hazard immediately, or alert your supervisor. If you think that you’re subjected to an unsafe work condition, clarify with your supervisor. If need be, stop work, and request relevant expertise to remove or eliminate the hazards, before resuming work. If you see your colleague doing something unsafe, remind him that he is playing with his own life. The safe work procedures are there not to make your life harder, but to make yr life safer. So follow these safe work procedures. And wear your personal protective equipment at all times.
While everyone in the workplace has an active role to play in ensuring safety, we would like to remind employers and supervisors to take the lead in creating a safe work environment for their workers and themselves. After all, workers come to work, so the least employers can do is to ensure that workers can go home safe and sound to their families. We urge all employers to put safety first in all their considerations. Ensuring safety at workplaces is about showing respect to human lives – a basic obligation that all employers must fulfill.
Employers and supervisors might be tempted to take shortcuts because of all types of constraints – time constraints, manpower constraints, budget constraints. We would like to appeal to all of you here – employers, contractors and supervisors: Shortcuts must never be taken at the expense of human lives, no matter what the constraints are.
The NTUC has formed the Town Council Cleaning & Custodial Services Sectoral Workgroup in August this year, to look into workplace safety and health issues of workers in this sector. We know that this is a highly competitive sector, with contractors outbidding each other to secure for contracts. We know that in the bid to be competitive, the safety and health of these workers will not be in their list of priorities. This is especially when there is little or no mention of compliance to safety and health matters in the contract specifications spelled out by the town councils.
The Sectoral Workgroup, which includes representatives from managing agents and contractors, has been working since August to develop safe work procedures on some of the core work processes pertaining to town council cleaning and custodial services. The first cut of 3 core procedures on General Cleaning, Horticulture and Pest Control works that have been developed by the workgroup will be shared at the seminar today. We hope to release a set of WSH Guidelines for Town Council Cleaning & Custodial Services in mid-2007.
I am glad to see so many of you here at this seminar. You have shown that you are responsible and enlightened employers, who are committed to make your workplaces safer. It is commendable that 55 companies will be pledging their commitment towards a safer working environment. Thank you very much for your strong support, and I hope that others in the industry will join us too in this journey towards a safer workplace for all.
We know that a safer working environment will not happen overnight. Knowing that however, we cannot afford to leave this to chance. I look forward to working closely with all tripartite social partners to make our workplaces safer!
Thank you, and I wish you a fruitful seminar ahead!
*****
For media queries, please contact:
Chong Yan Cheng
Consultant
Corporate Communications Department
National Trades Union Congress
DID: 6213 8190
HP: 9797 8985
Email: chongycheng@ntuc.org.sg
