Workplace fatalities and major injuries in 2021 were comparable to the numbers in 2019, before the onset of COVID-19.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workplace Safety & Health (WSH) Council, a total of 37 workplace fatalities and 610 major injuries occured in 2021. In 2019, there was a total of 39 workplace fatalities and 629 major injuries.
While the total number of major injuries have declined, the rate of such injuries has crept up from 18.1 injuries per 100,000 workers in 2019, to 18.5 in 2021.
MOM’s Divisional Director of Occupational Safety and Health Division Silas Sng said that companies must remain committed to protecting their workers’ safety and health.
“Risk assessment is the cornerstone of preventing workplace accidents, so I urge all companies to take your risk assessment seriously and implement proper risk control measures,” he shared.
Meanwhile, a total of 21,539 minor injuries were recorded in 2021, with 9,420 injuries requiring three or less days of medical leave or light duties.
The reporting of light injuries was the result of the requirement under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) that took effect on 1 September 2020.
Previously, employers would only need to report to MOM injuries that resulted in four or more days of medical leave.
Vehicular accidents remained the top cause of fatalities in 2021, with a total of 11 fatal accidents. Six of the cases were due to work-related traffic accidents.
Three of the six work-related traffic accidents were due to the negligence of other road users.
Despite seeing a drop in the number of incidences, Slips, Trips and Falls (STFs) remained the top cause of non-fatal injuries.
A total of 208 STF cases occurred in 2021, compared to 216 in 2019.
Machine-related incidents were another common cause of non-fatal injuries. They accounted for 63 major injuries and 3,162 minor injuries in 2021.
Transportation and storage, and construction accounted for the highest number of fatalities in 2021.
With a total of nine workplace fatalities, the sectors accounted for approximately 60 per cent of all workplace fatalities in 2021.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing and construction sectors jointly accounted for 44 per cent of all major injuries in 2021.
MOM hopes to continue to address the leading causes of fatal accidents by leveraging technology such as collision alert systems and rider behaviour monitoring systems to address vehicular-related accidents. It will also be strengthening enforcement and engagement efforts to address falls from height.
In October 2021, the WSH Council set up a workgroup to study how to enhance the safety of delivery service workers. MOM will share more details when ready.
