United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Workplace safety and health (WSH) standards in Singapore have improved steadily over the past 30 years. At the start of the 1980s, more than 6 industrial accidents occurred for every million man-hours worked. This accident frequency rate improved to about 4 by the mid 1980s but the progress slowed down thereafter until the early 1990s, when the pace of improvement picked up once again. Since 2001 however, the accident frequency rate has stagnated at an average of 2.2 industrial accidents per million man-hours worked. In 2004, several major workplace accidents with multiple fatalities created further impetus for the Government to take decisive actions to raise WSH standards.

At that time, the WSH regime in Singapore had been centred on the Factories Act that was first enacted in 1958. The Act defined which aspects of work were regulated, and also prescriptively fixed the methods to prevent accidents on the ground. Such an approach had led to a morass of legislative rules and regulations, which may be ill-suited to particular sets of circumstances but must be followed nonetheless. This encouraged a mindset amongst corporate management and its employees to simply follow the “letter of the law” without applying their minds to how the measures should be implemented to be effective or if there is a better or more efficient solution.

Whilst this approach might have worked in the past, it would not be feasible in today’s context. As work processes become more sophisticated and more customised, it is also increasingly difficult for the Government or any central authority to prescribe standards which can be applied uniformly to all companies, across all industries. The speed of technological development means that regulators which try to micro-manage will always be playing catch-up.

A second shortcoming of the Factories Act was that it had a limited coverage and as its name implies, applied only to factories. This is of course archaic, as every worker deserves to be protected against safety and health risks. Thirdly, the Factories Act placed legal liability squarely on the shoulders of the registered factory occupier. For a traditional assembly-line plant, this is comprehensive as the factory occupier is typically the employer of all the workers and has control over the risks to which they are exposed. However, today with outsourcing, specialisation of work and more diverse employment relationships, workplaces will often have workers employed by third parties. In construction sites, for example, employees from various specialist sub-contractors work together on the same project but under the direction of their respective employers. In such a scenario, placing legal liability on the registered occupier alone may be unfair and ineffective, as the employees of sub-contractors may choose to ignore the safety instructions of the occupier or carry out unsafe work practices without the knowledge of the occupier.

Given the inadequacies of the Factories Act, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) overhauled the WSH framework in 2005. This has enabled Singapore to achieve a quantum leap to the next level of WSH performance.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The first milestone in Singapore’s journey towards comprehensive protection at workplaces was the formation of the WSH Advisory Committee in September 2005. The Advisory Committee was appointed by the Minister for Manpower, and comprised 14 eminent individuals from a wide range of industries. Its role was to bring in industry perspectives to advise MOM on WSH standards, promotion and training. The Advisory Committee was successful in garnering industry participation, and in April 2008, the Committee was elevated into a full-fledged Council with executive powers. The WSH Council is established in statute and is a formal structure to bring in industry partnership to jointly lead the effort to improve workplace safety. The second significant milestone in the reform of the WSH framework was the introduction of the WSH Act in 2006 and the repeal of the Factories Act. The key improvements resulting from the new Act are as follows: a. First, the Act strengthens proactive measures. Instead of reacting to accidents after they have occurred, the Act focuses on reducing risks to prevent accidents. To achieve this, employers are required to conduct comprehensive risk assessments for all work processes and provide detailed plans to eliminate or minimise risks. b. Second, the Act better defines persons who are accountable and their responsibilities. It also institutes penalties to deter risk-taking behaviour and ensure that companies are pro-active in preventing incidents. c. Third, the Act has been progressively extended to more workplaces beyond factories, and will eventually apply to all workplaces. This provides protection for an increasing number of workers. The extension of coverage of the Act was and will continue to be done in consultation with industry. While the WSH Act in itself is not the solution, it has put into place an improved legal framework to get all stakeholders to embed occupational safety and health into their daily operations. When we started the reform in 2005, we had set a target to halve the number of work-related fatalities from 4.9 per 100,000 workers in 2004 to 2.5 per 100,000 workers by 2015. This would allow us to attain one of the best WSH records in the world. Since then, Singapore’s WSH performance has improved steadily with the workplace fatality rate falling from 4.9 per 100,000 workers in 2004, to 4.0 in 2005, to 3.1 in 2006 and to 2.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2007. Recognising these achievements, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set a new target in April 2008, challenging stakeholders to lower the number of workplace fatalities to less than 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The WSH reform was started by the Government in 2005 following public concern over workplace safety standards. Then-Minister for Manpower led a delegation to study four European countries - Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), France and Germany, where he spoke not only to regulators, but also to leaders in international construction firms, unionists, academics, and researchers working in private institutions. After looking at other systems and exchanging ideas with experts in these countries with excellent safety records, MOM formulated the guiding principles of the new framework to improve the safety culture and achieve a quantum leap in safety standards. To guide the implementation of the new framework, a comprehensive, long-term national blueprint was needed. The WSH Advisory Committee, together with MOM, took the lead to formulate WSH 2015 - A Strategy for Workplace Safety and Health in Singapore. Over a period of four months in 2006, more than 1,500 stakeholders from the relevant professional bodies, trade associations, employer association and unions were consulted through various dialogue sessions, seminars and workshops that were co-organised by the Advisory Committee, MOM and other industry partners. The WSH 2015 strategy document was also sent to over 14,000 subscribers of the Advisory Committee’s electronic newsletter OSH Alert, to solicit their views. Overall, there was widespread support for WSH 2015 and the feedback received made the strategy more robust and comprehensive. In addition, MOM had established an International Advisory Panel (IAP) of WSH experts from developed countries with good WSH records. The objective of the IAP was to review and critique the regulatory regime, practices and standards in Singapore, and provide international benchmarks. WSH 2015 as well as the other features of the new WSH framework was discussed and strongly endorsed by the IAP at its inaugural meeting in October 2006. WSH 2015 outlines the strategies and action plans to be carried out over the next few years, and lists the role of the different industry stakeholders. Since the launch of WSH 2015, stakeholders such as the Government, trade and business associations, and the unions (collectively known as the tripartite partners), professional and educational institutions, employers, employees and WSH professionals have actively played their part in improving WSH standards. With the establishment of the WSH Council and the new fatality rate target set by the Prime Minister in April 2008, WSH 2015 is currently being updated to strengthen the national WSH framework, as well as take into account the insights that have been gleaned during the initial implementation process. The new strategy document, WSH 2018 would similarly enjoy the same level of support from industry and would galvanise all stakeholders to achieve the vision of a safe and healthy workplace for everyone and a country renowned for best practices in WSH.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The desired outcomes of the WSH reform are first and foremost, a reduction in occupational fatality and injury rates, as well as the creation of a progressive and pervasive safety and health culture, where WSH is an integral part of business. Our efforts will also enable Singapore to be renowned as a Centre of Excellence for WSH. The main strategies to achieve these outcomes are explained below: a. Common vision and target. The setting of a target for workplace fatality rate (from 2.5 per 100,000 workers in 2015, to 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018) is a rallying point, serving as a reminder that we work hard together to prevent innocent lives from being lost in tragic accidents. The national target called for sustained, progressive improvements in WSH standards, giving impetus for the creation of a national strategy and action plan. b. Clear roadmap. WSH 2015, and subsequently WSH 2018, is a national roadmap that lends focus to the vision by setting out achievable action items and milestones. As it is a common document that has received strong wide-spread support, including from the IAP, WSH 2018 will be adopted and effectively implemented by all stakeholders. c. Industry ownership. As workplace safety systems around the world have shown that better safety standards can only be achieved if stakeholders from industry are engaged, a primary strategy has been to put in place proper structures and institutions to foster industry ownership. To phase in industry partnership, we started with the formation of the WSH Advisory Committee. This has worked well, and the Advisory Committee was elevated to a statutory industry-led Council in April 2008. The WSH Council has also set up five industry committees to draw in key representatives from each of the five sectors - construction and landscaping, marine, metalworking and manufacturing, transport and logistics, and healthcare. This provides a formal channel for the views of the individual industries to be heard, for the players in each industry to better coordinate and work together in partnership, and for MOM and the Council to better respond to the industry’s specific needs. d. Appropriate legislation. As mentioned earlier, the Factories Act resulted in a mindset of mere compliance to the letter of the law. The introduction of the WSH Act as the central legislation to support the new framework was a strategic move in helping to change the regulatory mindset from being prescriptive to performance-based. Rather than tell businesses how to run their factories or do their jobs, the law makes businesses responsible for managing their own risks. For instance, no longer does the law prescribe that factory windows must be 10% of the floor size. The duty is simply to ensure that there is sufficient ventilation according to the number of people at work, and the factory owner is empowered to decide how to achieve this.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
On 10 March 2005, then-Minister for Manpower, Dr Ng Eng Hen, unveiled in Parliament a new WSH framework to achieve a quantum leap in WSH standards in Singapore. Minister also emphasised that the ultimate goal must be to have zero fatalities, although the aim was to first reduce deaths at workplaces by half from 4.9 per 100,000 workers to 2.5 by 2015 or sooner. One of the three key principles of the WSH framework was to engender greater industry ownership of safety outcomes. To this end, the WSH Advisory Committee was formed in September 2005. Comprising of 14 eminent individuals with wide industry representation appointed by the Minister for Manpower, the role of the Advisory Committee was to advise MOM on WSH standards, promotion and training, as well as address the unique challenges of key industry sectors. On 1 March 2006, MOM repealed the Factories Act and the WSH Act came into effect to enshrine the three principles of the framework into law. Minister also announced that the scope of the WSH Act would be expanded in stages to other workplaces over three to five years. From 31 October to 2 November 2006, a panel of international experts on WSH appointed by the Minister for Manpower held its inaugural meeting and endorsed the WSH framework 2005 as outlined in WSH 2015. The IAP also recommended an expanded scope for the WSH Advisory Committee i.e. for it to evolve into a full-fledged Council with executive functions. On 1 March 2008, the WSH Act was extended to six new sectors, namely healthcare activities, veterinary activities, hotels, food and beverage sectors, water Supply, sewerage and waste management activities, landscape care and maintenance service activities, and services allied to the transportation of goods. On 6 March 2008, the Parliament passed the amendments to the WSH Act, which inter alia, included the establishment of the WSH Council as a statutory body and its setting out of its functions. The amendments took effect on 1 April 2008. On 29 April 2008 at the launch of the National WSH Campaign and official launch of the WSH Council, heartened by the progress that had been made since 2004, the Prime Minister set a new target for WSH, challenging stakeholders to lower the number of workplace fatalities to less than 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018. In response, MOM and the WSH Council reviewed WSH 2015 and identified the enhancements to be made in order to update the national strategy. WSH 2018 would be announced in April 2009. The second meeting of the IAP took place from 30 to 31 October 2008. The panel applauded the elevation of the former WSH Advisory Committee into the WSH Council and the extension of the WSH Act to eventually cover all workplaces. The panel also welcomed WSH 2018 and its comments have been incorporated into the draft WSH 2018 strategy. The chronology of milestones is as follows: 10 Mar 05: Minister for Manpower announced in Parliament the new WSH framework and national WSH targets 1 Sep 05: Formation of the WSH Advisory Committee 1 Mar 06: WSH Act replaced the Factories Act 31 Oct - 2 Nov 06: Inaugural meeting of the International Advisory Panel for WSH 20 Apr 07: Launch of the WSH 2015 – A Strategy for WSH 1 Mar 08: Workplace Safety and Health Act extended beyond factories to six new sectors 1 Apr 08: Establishment of the WSH Council 29 Apr 08: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set a new target for WSH 30 - 31 Oct 08: Second meeting of the International Advisory Panel for WSH Apr 09: Scheduled launch of WSH 2018 – A National Strategy for WSH in Singapore

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
(i) Need for greater industry ownership of WSH outcomes The new WSH landscape is founded on the basis that industry needs to take greater more ownership in WSH. However, there were no proper structures or enablers for industry ownership, and MOM did not have regular channels to reach out to the industry. The formation of the WSH Advisory Committee in the first instance, and the subsequent establishment of the statutory WSH Council, bridges this gap by facilitating greater and more effective collaboration between MOM and the industry. (ii) Need for greater industry awareness and capability The shift from a prescriptive to a performance-based approach, and the new focus on risk management and identification of systemic lapses as opposed to event-level lapses meant that greater assistance needed to be given to industry to raise its awareness of as well as build its capabilities in WSH. In particular, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with not more than 200 employees, which collectively account for about 90% of companies and 60% of the total workforce in Singapore, lacked resources. Therefore, MOM and the WSH Advisory Committee launched the Risk Management Assistance Fund (RMAF) to help SMEs offset the cost of hiring consultants to help build their internal capabilities. The Advisory Committee also developed bizSAFE, a five-step capability building programme that guides SMEs in their journey to WSH excellence. Larger companies are encouraged to build into their supply chain management to give priority to smaller companies that have been recognised under the bizSAFE programme. To enable workers to better manage WSH, MOM and the WSH Council have rolled out a series of training programmes to build their competencies. For example, new workers to high-risk sectors such as construction and marine are required to undergo a mandatory safety orientation course before they are allowed to start work. A new WSH professionals competency framework was developed to enable WSH officers and auditors etc, to meet the increased demands placed upon them. To raise the profile of WSH, the Advisory Committee carried out national campaigns, seminars and workshops throughout the year. The WSH Council upped the ante, and runs extensive advertising and outreach programmes to promote the benefits of WSH and recognise best practices. These events are co-organised with and co-sponsored by industry partners, signalling the commitment of industry to improve WSH standards. (ii) Need for better internal capability Regulation and enforcement had been the dominant tool in the management of WSH in Singapore. Under the new WSH landscape, we needed more tools such as capability building, strategic intervention, promotion and recognition as well as stronger partnerships with other stakeholders. MOM thus had to build up its own capabilities to mange the new WSH approach. The Occupational Safety and Health Division in MOM was formed in 2004, by merging the three existing departments that separately oversaw occupational safety, occupational health, and work injury compensation. A training framework was developed to identify the types of technical and functional competencies needed by each employee for his particular job scope, and existing staff were sent for training. New staff were also recruited to bring in industry experience and other skills such as in marketing and promotion.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHD) within MOM is primarily responsible for ensuring safety and health at the workplace. OSHD is headed by the Commissioner for WSH and is staffed by approximately 260 officers with about 151-gazetted inspectors across four departments performing a variety functions. The departments are: i. OSH Inspectorate ii. OSH Policy, Information and Corporate Services Department iii. OSH Specialists Department iv. Work Injury Compensation Department The WSH Council comprises 16 industry leaders from a variety of backgrounds. The Council has also set up five industry-specific committees, as well as two functional committees that look at industry capability building, and engagement and outreach. In addition, each of these committees has its own structure of sub-committees and work groups. In total, more than 100 individuals, representing a range of associations and companies in industry, are actively involved in the WSH Council set-up. The WSH Council and its committees are supported by an Office that is headed by an Executive Director. The Council Office is staffed by approximately 75 officers performing various functions in the following departments: i. Strategy and Management Department ii. Industry Sensing and Engagement Department iii. Industry Capability Building Department iv. WSH Practices and Research Department In 2008, OSHD and the WSH Council ran on a budget of more than S$44 million for their manpower and operating needs. For the industry, guidance for companies to comply with the WSH Act has been developed by MOM and the WSH Council. For instance, the industry committees under the Council collaborate with trade associations and professional bodies to determine practical and realistic standards in the form of codes of practice or non-legislative guidelines. Accident case studies, risk assessment templates for specific trades, promotional materials, along with other online tools are amongst the corpus of resources available on the WSH Council’s website to assist the industry. The Council also has capability building programmes such as the Risk Management Assistance Fund and bizSAFE, to help small and medium enterprises defray the cost of improving the WSH skills and capabilities of their companies. In addition, the Council collaborates with other relevant bodies, such as the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to build WSH competencies in the workforce. The development of training competency standards and the training of local workers is subsidised by the Government. The training and development of a pool of competent WSH professionals, such as safety and health officers and auditors, helps businesses manage their WSH risks.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
MOM’s role, in ensuring sustainable economic growth and better quality of life for Singaporeans, is captured and reflected in the Whole-of-Government Balanced Scorecard (WOG-BSC) for Singapore. This ensures that WSH receives sufficient attention at the national level, with key performance indicators like workplace fatality and injury rates being monitored. The increasing focus on this area is illustrated by the increasing budget allocated for WSH, rising from S$12 millions in 2003 to S$41 millions in 2008. The prescriptive approach and enforcement-centric regulatory outlook was transformed to one that seeks to develop a progressive and pervasive safety and health culture, with all individuals taking personal responsibility to protect not only the safety and health of themselves, but also that of others. This shift in mindsets not only ensures sustainability, but also relevance of our WSH strategy in light of the rapid pace of change in technologies and work processes across industries. We have also now achieved stronger industry ownership through the WSH Council, which has provided the necessary leadership in steering industries towards the common vision. Through building industry capabilities and promoting the benefits of WSH, the Council has helped companies understand that WSH is an integral part of business, rather than them just blindly following regulatory requirements. Even in the extension for coverage of workplaces, MOM opted against a “big-bang” rollout, adopting instead a phased approach with milestone checks along the way. This allows early interventions when necessary, and helps ensure that MOM has adopted the right strategic direction. Early successes, with the significant reduction in workplace fatality rate from 4.9 per 100,000 workers employed in 2004 to 2.9 in 2007, helped allay initial scepticisms towards this new approach. Singapore’s subsequent decision to set a more ambitious goal – to lower the workplace fatality rate from 2.5 per 100,000 workers by 2015 to 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018 – further reinforces MOM’s approach as a template for success. Regionally, Singapore has been promoting the development of national WSH programmes within ASEAN. Singapore hosted a policy dialogue on National WSH Frameworks among ASEAN countries in January 2007. The dialogue concluded with the adoption of an action plan among all ASEAN-OSHNET members to further improve the WSH standards in the region. Just as Singapore has been conducting technical training on WSH for the region, Singapore has shared her WSH models and approaches to be adapted by other ASEAN countries. Singapore has collaborated with ILO to launch various programmes to train inspectors from the region, in particular countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Mynamar. Singapore is currently working with ILO to provide experts to these countries to help them to set up the framework. The IAP, which comprises renowned international experts across industries, has also helped disseminate their insights and key learning from Singapore’s experience to countries that see Singapore as a benchmark. In fact, during the second IAP meeting in October 2008, the IAP had suggested that Singapore has the potential to serve as a regional centre for WSH expertise and the sharing of ideas, and endorsed Singapore’s proposal to develop an Institute dedicated to WSH that would, among other things, conduct world-class education and applied research. This will further allow us to transfer our learning and insights in the area of WSH.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The formulation of the WSH framework in 2005 and the introduction of the WSH Act in 2006 marked a fundamental shift in governance philosophy. From a “regulator knows best” mindset where stakeholders were required to comply strictly with the “letter of the law”, we have moved to a performance-based model requiring all stakeholders to take proactive measures. In WSH 2018, we are also encouraging the creation of a progressive and pervasive culture, where all individuals take personal responsibility for WSH, and play a role in protecting not only the safety and health of themselves, but also that of the people whom they work with. The success of the WSH reform can be seen in the following ways: a. Greater participation. The establishment of the WSH Council has given Singapore an institutional mechanism to promote industry participation. With the Council’s five industry committees and two functional committees (for industry capability building, and engagement and outreach) comprising of members from the government, unions and professionals from the legal, insurance and academic fields, the Council is an effective platform for industry networking and decision-making. With frequent communication, the coordination along the supply or value chain in each industry has improved, and the different players are more awareness of the industry’s business considerations. b. Increased responsiveness. The presence of the different industry committees has allowed differentiated approaches to be taken to meet the unique needs and challenges of each sector. The move away from a prescriptive legislative regime to one that taps on codes of practices and guidelines has resulted in greater flexibility and increased responsiveness to address new and emerging WSH challenges. MOM has also set up a WSH telephone hotline for the public to report any unsafe acts at workplaces. This enhances the Government’s ability to identify unsafe workplaces, detect trends and implement timely measures to improve WSH standards. c. Better use of IT tools. Under the WSH Act, employers are required to report workplace fatalities, injuries, occupational diseases and certain dangerous occurrences that have the potential to result in catastrophic accidents. In the past, incident reports had to be submitted in hardcopy, but with the introduction of the WSH framework in 2005, we invested in an internet-based reporting tool for greater convenience. As of today, more than 90% of incident reports are submitted online. MOM is also developing a brand new internal IT system that will maximise the wealth of WSH data that is currently being gathered. This will enable better data mining and analysis of WSH hotspots, so that our interventions can be more targeted. The WSH Council also has plans to develop an interactive internet portal that serves as a resource centre for WSH matters. Tools to allow companies to compute the costs of an accident and to conduct self-investigations into the accident will be available on the portal. This will strengthen the business case for WSH prevention.


Institution Name:		Ministry of Manpower
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Cheng Peng Woon
Title:		Deputy Director (Corporate Planning)
Telephone/ Fax:		(65)63171683
Institution's / Project's Website:		(65)65344840
E-mail:		woon_cheng_peng@mom.gov.sg
Address:		18 Havelock Road #07-01
Postal Code:		059764
City:		Singapore
State/Province:		Singapore
Country:		Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information