There were a total of 23 workplace fatalities in the first half of 2021. Meanwhile, there were 6,411 workplace injuries in the same period.
The number translates to 0.7 workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, and 193 workplace injuries per 100,000 workers.
This was comparable to pre-COVID figures. In 2H 2019, there were a total of 0.6 workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, and 205 workplace injuries per 100,000 workers.
Vehicular incidents and falls from height continue to be key concerns. There were six fatal vehicle accidents and four fatal falls in 1H 2021. Of these fatalities, four were work-related traffic accidents (WRTAs) involving delivery or dispatch riders.
These figures were reported in the Workplace Safety and Health Report, released by the Tripartite Alliance for Workplace Safety and Health (WSH Council) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on 8 October 2021.
The figures do not include the major traffic accident which took place on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) on 27 September 2021 where eight lorry passengers were taken to hospital, and the road incident at Shenton Way on 7 September 2021 that injured three workers.
NTUC’s newsroom has reached out to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong for comments.
To address the rising number of WRTAs, a Food and Courier Delivery Workgroup has been formed.
The workgroup comprises tripartite partners (including the WSH Council), the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA) and companies such as GrabFood and Singpost.
The workgroup will discuss progressive practices that employers and intermediaries can adopt, such as safety training for new riders.
The MOM has also started to explore emerging rider safety technology solutions such as collision alert systems and rider behaviour monitoring systems. These will be tested with logistics and food delivery companies.
An enforcement operation on vehicular safety will be conducted between October to November 2021. The operation will target transportation & storage, construction, and manufacturing, where WRTAs are most common.
The report also revealed that slips, trips and falls (STFs) remain the leading cause of non-fatal injuries.
The number of STF-related major injuries had increased slightly in 1H 2021, up to 113 compared to 103 in 2H 2020.
STF-related minor injuries, however, fell from 1,846 in 2H 2020 to 1,753 in 1H 2021.
Machine-related incidents were another common cause of injuries in 1H 2021, accounting for 33 major injuries in the six-month period.
Injuries by Industries
Construction, transportation & storage, and manufacturing continue to be the major contributors to workplace injuries.
The manufacturing industry saw a six-month workplace fatality rate of 1.0 per 100,000 workers, or four fatalities in 1H 2021.
It also had the highest number of non-fatal injuries, with 80 major injuries and 1,364 minor injuries in that same period.
The construction and transportation & storage industries accounted for the highest number of fatalities, with seven fatalities each in 1H 2021. The two also accounted for over 60 per cent of all fatalities in the first half of the year.
