Opening Address at bizSAFE Convention 2022
SMS Zaqy, MAX Atria at Singapore Expo<\/strong><\/p>\nMr John Ng, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council,<\/p>\n
Members of the WSH Council and WSH Council Committees,<\/p>\n
Tripartite partners, Award recipients,<\/p>\n
Industry partners and supporters,<\/p>\n
Ladies and gentlemen.<\/p>\n
Good morning and a warm welcome to everyone. I am glad to meet members of the bizSAFE community today.<\/p>\n
2. We started the \u201cheightened safety\u201d period about 3 months ago, at a time when the spate of fatalities became untenable following years of progress to build a strong WSH culture here in Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 The \u201cheightened safety\u201d period has given us the opportunity to keep employers and workers on their toes, be on the guard and in the process, hopefully improve their WSH practices.\u00a0
\u2022 On one hand, the Government has taken action against employers who continued to ignore safety lapses at their workplace.\u00a0
\u2022 On the other hand, we are supporting those who are keen to shore up their safety standards.\u00a0
\u2022 There seems to be some improvement, with the average number of fatal accidents shrinking from 4.5 per month this year up to end August, to 2 per month in September to November.\u00a0
\u2022 This translates to a drop in the fatality rate from 1.6 per 100,000 workers before September. Post-Sep 1, brings us to a rate of below 1 per 100,000 workers \u2013 which is actually our WSH 2028 target.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. This shows that when the industry wants to, when we put our minds and resources into WSH, we can improve our safety performance to where we expect to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 We have made some progress, but we cannot let our guard down.
\u2022 We must stay vigilant, especially important during this period as we get closer to the festive season.\u00a0\u00a0
\u2022 Companies may face pressure to meet deadlines and rush to complete work.\u00a0\u00a0
\u2022 We must not let deadlines lead to dead workers.\u00a0
\u2022 Even beyond the current \u201cheightened safety\u201d period, workplace safety and health must not be compromised.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4. It\u2019s still early days. We are at the mid-point of our \u201cHeightened safety\u201d period.<\/p>\n
\u2022 So, let us study the impact of our measures and the outcomes that we see during these 6 months
\u2022 and consider how best to shape WSH outcomes and workplace mindsets beyond this period.<\/p>\n
5. Today, we celebrate the companies and individuals that have been excellent in risk management,<\/p>\n
\u2022 and what bisSAFE stands for in helping companies build capabilities, putting in place good practices and risk assessments,\u00a0
\u2022 and thinking through the hierarchy of controls and good implementation of control measures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WSH Mindset Starts from the Top
<\/strong>
6. An important trait found in our bizSAFE award winners is WSH ownership at the top.
\u00a0
\u2022 In these companies, senior management walked the talk, and were deeply involved in setting up the right structures and dedicating resources to provide safer workplaces and worksites.\u00a0
\u2022 I hope that we continue to take more care, and work towards safe outcomes on a consistent basis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n7. We can all agree that inculcating WSH mindset starts from the top.<\/p>\n
\u2022 To drive home the responsibilities and accountability of company leaders, which include CEOs and Board of Directors,\u00a0
\u2022 we launched the Approved Code of Practice \u2013 A C O P in short \u2013 for Company Executives\u2019 and Board of Directors\u2019 WSH Duties, to make clear what they should be responsible and accountable for.
\u2022 This is a major step for the WSH movement here in Singapore, but one that is essential for the long-term<\/p>\n
8. To help more management teams better understand the ACOP, I am happy to share that the bizSAFE Level 1 course for top management will be enhanced to incorporate ACOP training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 This is expected to ready in Q1 2023.\u00a0\u00a0
\u2022 We will also develop a new training video for all companies to learn about the ACOP, which will be released soon.<\/p>\n
9. Tapping on the ACOP to level up your company\u2019s WSH management system, can better position your company to seize business opportunities by clients that demand high WSH standards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 The European Union (EU) is moving in this direction.\u00a0
\u2022 At today\u2019s Convention, Mr Prateek Jain from EuroCham will share how the EU will be requiring suppliers to EU companies, including those from countries outside the EU like Singapore, to be environmentally and socially responsible.\u00a0
\u2022 This includes the need to look after workers\u2019 safety and health.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strengthening WSH Governance\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n10. Next, it is important to also strengthen WSH governance on the ground within companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 WSH Officers and WSH Coordinators play a crucial role in bridging WSH directives from the management to workers
\u2022 They also see to the implementation and compliance of WSH in the firm
\u2022 WSH Officers are currently required to attend training as part of their Continuing Professional Development programme, so that their WSH skills and knowledge are kept up to date.\u00a0
\u2022 But we have a limited pool of WSH Officers today.
\u2022 Not all worksites have the benefit of having them.\u00a0
\u2022 WSH Coordinators are more widespread, but they do not have the same requirement of continuous training as WSH Officers do.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
11. MOM will level up the capability of WSH Coordinators by requiring companies to send all their WSH Coordinators to undergo refresher training once every two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 To make it convenient for companies, most of the training comprises an e-learning package that can be done anywhere anytime, followed by a one-day in-person training session.\u00a0
\u2022 We will phase in the training requirement gradually:\u00a0<\/p>\n
a. Come 1 January 2023, all Coordinators in the construction sector who were trained before 31 Dec 2017 will have to complete their refresher training by 30 June 2023.\u00a0
b. All other Coordinators in the construction sector who underwent training between 2018 up to 2021 will need to complete their refresher training in the second half of 2023.\u00a0\u00a0
c. After the WSH Coordinators in the construction sector complete the refresher training, the requirement will then be extended to WSH Coordinators in other industry sectors.\u00a0
\u00a0
12. The Ministry of Manpower will notify the affected companies on the training requirements by the end of this year.<\/p>\n
Making Every Worker an Advocate\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n13. Next, we need to make every worker an advocate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 Being on-the-ground, workers are the most appropriate persons to be looking out for unsafe conditions.\u00a0\u00a0
\u2022 They can be more pro-active — call out safety lapses; suggest improvements; make changes.\u00a0
\u2022 To facilitate this, companies need to strengthen our WSH culture and be open to ground feedback and whistleblowing from workers,
\u2022 and accept near-miss reporting as a must-have, rather than a good to have.<\/p>\n
a. An example of an employee that is a strong WSH advocate is Ms Tan Xinyi, a Senior Chemical Engineer from City Energy.\u00a0
b. She took the initiative to suggest WSH improvements by initiating the use of explosion-proof tablets to monitor hazards at their plant.\u00a0
c. This helped field operators and supervisors to communicate more easily and allowed them to resolve issues more quickly.
d. The photos and videos captured in the reporting process were also converted into learning content so that more could learn from it.
e. Xinyi is one of the five individuals receiving the bizSAFE Champion Award today. My heartiest congratulations to them all!
Driving Technology Adoption\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n14. Technology has the potential to be a game-changer for WSH, by empowering top management, WSH professionals, and all employees to deliver improved WSH outcomes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 In line with the WSH 2028 strategy to promote technology-enabled WSH, MOM plans to increase companies\u2019 adoption of technology to advance WSH outcomes.\u00a0
\u2022 The Ministry is looking into requiring implementation of video surveillance systems at strategic high-risk locations in workplaces.\u00a0
\u2022 This will not only help supervisors better monitor work carried out at these locations, but also facilitate training if any poor work practices are picked up.
\u2022 Companies can go another step further by implementing AI-enabled CCTVs to enable automatic detection of unsafe work environment or behaviours.<\/p>\n
15. Zheng Keng Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd, who bagged three awards today, is one of the companies that have proactively implemented the installation of surveillance cameras to monitor the safety conditions and practices at their workplaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 Apart from CCTVs, they have also diligently adopted WSH technology on other fronts:
a. They installed AI cameras and proximity sensors on telescopic handlers and other heavy vehicles to warn drivers of objects and people,
\u2022 as well as Stability Control Systems for their lorry cranes to prevent toppling of cranes.
b. They also installed a secondary guarding system which includes AI and advance sensing functions on scissor lifts to prevent entrapment incidents.\u00a0
\u2022 It does so by cutting off the movements of the scissor lift when there are unusual movements of the operator.<\/p>\n
16. We hope to see more companies like Zheng Keng, that are looking at the use of technology to improve WSH.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 SMEs looking to implement such technology at your workplace will be happy to know that there are government grants available such as the Productivity Solutions Grant.\u00a0
\u2022 To publicise the good outcomes of companies that used WSH technology, we will also introduce a new bizSAFE Tech Awards category next year.\u00a0\u00a0
\u2022 The winners would be able to demonstrate to their industries that investing in WSH tech is viable and rewarding, and create awareness of the possibilities available.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Conclusion\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n17. Today\u2019s winners show us that with an effective risk management system, companies of all sizes can prevent accidents from happening.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 We\u2019ve had a challenging year and I thank all stakeholders from the industry, our tripartite partners, and members of the WSH Council for staying the course and working with MOM on improving our WSH standards.\u00a0
\u2022 Let\u2019s maintain our focus to bring our accidents to zero, and hope that we have an accident-free year-end as we usher in 2023.\u00a0
\u2022 Happy holidays and Happy New Year\u00a0 to all.
\u2022 Thank you.\u00a0
\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
08 Dec 2022
Speeches
Opening Address at bizSAFE Convention 2022SMS Zaqy, MAX Atria at Singapore Expo Mr John Ng, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, Members of the WSH Council and WSH Council Committees, Tripartite partners, Award recipients, Industry partners and supporters, Ladies and gentlemen. Good morning and a warm welcome […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-368193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368193"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/able-alert.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=368193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}