Cases of falls causing major injuries at workplaces at 5-year high
MOM releases Workplace Safety and Health Report for January to June and will conduct operations on falls prevention soon
Falls - including slips, trips and falls from height - were the leading cause of major workplace injuries in the first half of the year and is an area of concern, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
According to preliminary figures released yesterday in MOM's Workplace Safety and Health Report for January to June, there were 142 major injuries caused by falls, a five-year high when compared to similar time periods in previous years.
This was also a rise from the second half of 2017, which saw 128 major injuries from falls.
The number of fall-related deaths have also risen, from four in the first half of last year, to eight in the second half, and seven in the first half of this year.
Of more than 5,000 workplace safety and health breaches found by MOM inspections in the first half of 2018, the top violations were situations that created fall risks.
These included failure to cover or guard openings and open sides at height and the failure to provide safe means of entry and exit from any area in the workplace.
MOM said in a press release yesterday that two enforcement operations focusing on falls prevention, covering 400 construction worksites, and on slip, trip and fall hazards covering 200 workplaces in other sectors, will start soon.
There were 20 workplace fatalities as of June this year, a slight dip from the 23 deaths in the second half of 2017.
The construction sector accounted for the most workplace deaths over the last six months, with eight, and the most major injuries at 64 cases.
Singapore Contractors Association president Kenneth Loo told The New Paper that he was disappointed, especially after the construction sector's performance in 2017.
There were two deaths and 51 major injuries in the first half of 2017, and a total of 12 deaths and 110 major injuries for the year.
Mr Loo, 53, said: "There is no room for complacency. It is a wake-up call for (our members) to make sure that they tighten up things and make sure that things are in order."
The statistics emphasised concerns raised by Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad in Parliament earlier this month and in a Facebook post yesterday where he highlighted the injuries suffered in construction and from falls.
In the post, Mr Zaqy said MOM's workplace safety and health performance for the first half of the year was mixed but noted areas of improvement.
Overall, there were fewer workplace injuries in the first six months of this year (6,032) compared to the first and second halves of 2017 (6,211 and 6,287, respectively), according to MOM's report. Fewer workers suffered from occupational diseases in this period compared to the same period last year, with a sharp drop in the cases of noise-induced deafness, the latter a trend since 2014.
Instances of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and skin diseases also fell.
But Mr Zaqy said he was still saddened by the fatalities.
"While enforcement is needed to send a deterrent message, it is not the complete answer," he said."We can, and we must do better."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
