Category Archive NEWS

SINGAPORE: Enforcement action has been taken against 43 food establishment licensees for not complying with mask and spit guard requirements for food safety, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Monday (Apr 24).

Following up from SFA’s operations in September, the agency inspected another 451 food establishments, including restaurants, food stalls in hawker centres and food fairs from Mar 29 to Apr 14.

SFA said it focused on “premises with high volume of public feedback received”.

While most food handlers were found to have complied with the requirements, 43 food establishment licensees were issued written warnings for failing to ensure their food handlers complied with the mask and spit guard requirements.

“Stiffer enforcement action will be taken if they fail to comply with these requirements again,” said SFA.

Those found guilty can face a fine of up to S$10,000 (US$75,000), jail of up to one year, or both. They are also liable to have their licence suspended or cancelled.

Mask-wearing requirements for food handlers continue to apply even though COVID-19 measures were stepped down in February.

“SFA has made it a requirement for all food handlers to wear masks or other forms of physical barriers, for food safety, as food can be contaminated by food handlers through coughing and sneezing onto food during the preparation and handling process,” the agency said.

“SFA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant licensees if we have obtained sufficient evidence,” it added. 

The public can report potential violations using SFA’s online feedback form. 

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/sfa-food-establishment-licensees-mask-spit-guard-requirements-food-safety-caught-3439306

SINGAPORE: The number of workplace fatalities, dangerous occurrences and cases of occupational disease in Singapore rose across the board in 2022, according to the annual Workplace Safety and Health Report released on Tuesday (Apr 4).

Published by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the report showed there were 46 workplace-related deaths last year – a rate of 1.3 per 100,000 workers. This was up from 37 in 2021 and the highest number of fatalities since 2015 and 2016, when there were 66 each year.

The top two causes were vehicular incidents and falls from a height, which together accounted for half of all workplace fatalities in 2022. The most number of cases, 14, occurred in the construction sector.

“The spate of workplace fatal injuries were largely due to basic safety lapses, such as inadequate safety planning and control measures, and non-compliance with safety measures,” said MOM. 

The number of dangerous occurrences – incidents with a high potential for multiple fatalities, but where no one was injured – also more than doubled from 13 in 2021 to 27 in 2022. There were 46 such incidents reported in 2015. 

Among the incidents last year, 20 involved the collapse or failure of structures and equipment, with the remaining involving fires and explosions.

MOM attributed the spike last year to a rise in crane-related incidents in the construction sector, which again contributed the most – 56 per cent – of all dangerous occurrences.

The ministry pointed to a S$4 million grant announced in January, to co-fund the installation of stability control systems on lorry cranes.

MOM also said it was reviewing additional measures that would enhance crane operators’ competency, and increase the deterrence of unsafe crane-related operations.

In response to the spate of workplace fatalities last year, a Heightened Safety Period (HSP) was implemented in September. It brought the monthly average of fatalities down from 4.5 to 2.5. 

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said that while the construction sector has “seen improvements in reducing workplace accidents”, the incidence of major injuries did not improve in some sectors such as manufacturing.

The HSP was thus extended until May 31 this year, and a Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce convened to come up with strategies to strengthen workplace safety.

“Overall, there was some improvement in the workplace safety landscape with the introduction of HSP, but continued vigilance is needed,” said MOM. 

“Safety measures announced earlier in February are being implemented and will take effect in the coming weeks and months.”

WORK-RELATED HEALTH CONDITIONS

Elsewhere, reported cases of occupational diseases rose from 659 in 2021 to a new high of 1,052 in 2022 – or from a rate of 20 cases per 100,000 workers to 29.7.

These refer to diseases contracted as a result of exposure to risk factors arising from work activity, and listed in the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

The most number of cases – 506 – were picked up in the manufacturing sector.

Noise-induced deafness and musculoskeletal disorders like back injuries were the top two types of occupational diseases, collectively accounting for 92 per cent of all cases.

For noise-induced deafness alone, there was a spike in cases from 168 in 2021 to 624 last year.

MOM attributed the rise in reported cases to ongoing efforts in its Enhanced Workplace Health Surveillance (WHS+) programme, as well as increased awareness in reporting amongst doctors and employers.

WHS+ aims to minimise hazards that lead to occupational diseases.

MOM said it would continue to increase the number of workplaces under WHS+, and also work with the Workplace Safety and Health Council to increase awareness and implementation of workplace health programmes.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/workplace-fatalities-2022-rise-occupational-diseases-3395566

• Ko Woei Hin, 44, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail for offences under the Workplace Safety and Health Act
• In April 2016, Ko paid money for forged training certificates for safety supervisors his firm deployed when other firms took up building projects
• Ko was a director at Wang Sheng Design & Build

SINGAPORE — A company director has been sentenced to three weeks’ jail for using forged training certificates for safety supervisors that his firm deployed when other firms took up construction projects.

Ko Woei Hin, 44, received the jail term for offences under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Monday (April 3).

In April 2016, Ko, a director at Wang Sheng Design & Build, paid money to acquire forged Building Construction Safety Supervisor (BCSS) certificates for his foreign employees so that they could work as safety supervisors, said MOM.

Wang Sheng was in the building construction industry and provides safety supervisors for other firms that take up construction projects.

Ko had been told by one of his foreign employees that he knew how to obtain forged certificates, which would mean that the foreign employees need not attend any formal training and assessment.

The employee said that Ko would have to pay S$500 per certificate to obtain them. Ko then asked the worker to procure two such certificates.

The forged certificates were purportedly issued by an accredited training provider, AMI Consulting, which entered the false BCSS records into MOM’s Training Record System to indicate that Ko’s foreign employees had attended the BCSS course.

MOM said that Ko also did this to maintain his foreign employees’ work permits, and due to these false records, his foreign employees’ work permits were allowed to continue.

The forged BCCS certificates and false records were eventually uncovered in June 2016 during MOM’s routine surveillance of training providers, MOM added.

Ko was sentenced on March 30.

MOM did not give any reason why the matter has taken nearly seven years to get to court.

In response to TODAY’s queries, MOM said that AMI Consulting’s training provider status was revoked following its investigations in 2016.

The ministry said that Ko’s actions were not only illegal, but they also seriously undermined workplace safety.

MOM reiterated that there must always be properly trained and qualified supervisors to ensure that workplaces and workers are safe.

“An unqualified safety supervisor would not fully understand the safety measures that ought to be undertaken when carrying out various tasks at worksites. This would put many lives at risk of serious injury or worse, death,” it said.

“

An unqualified safety supervisor would not fully understand the safety measures that ought to be undertaken when carrying out various tasks at worksites. This would put many lives at risk of serious injury or worse, death.

Ministry of Manpower statement

”

MOM said that since 2021, 15 individuals have been convicted and jailed under section 53 of the WSHA for possessing forged certificates.

“MOM will not hesitate to take strong actions against individuals and companies who willfully compromise workplace safety and health or circumvent MOM’s work pass framework,” MOM said.

“All workers, employers and training providers must play their part to uphold high standards of integrity and ensure works are only performed by trained and qualified personnel.”

Source: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/3-weeks-jail-director-forged-certificates-building-safety-supervisors-2143551

SINGAPORE – A blaze the size of about 1½ football fields at a warehouse in Tuas was brought under control by firefighters on Monday evening.

The fire engulfed an industrial building consisting of a warehouse and production areas, including a six-storey production unit. Two workers were assessed by a paramedic for blisters on their hands and foreheads but refused to be taken to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the blaze at 28 Tuas South Avenue 8 at about 6.15pm. A total of 26 emergency vehicles and about 80 personnel were deployed.

Colonel Goh Boon Han, commander of the 4th SCDF division, told the media that the fire involved solvents and flammable construction materials.

He said: “We had to surround the entire fire with eight water jets and one unmanned firefighting machine.

“We ascertained with the companies earlier that up to 40 of their workers had self-evacuated and were all accounted for, so we adopted a defensive firefighting operation so as not to commit our firefighters into the risk area for prolonged periods.“

He added that the unmanned firefighting machine was used in the risk area, and because the roof was also buckling, it was a safety issue.

Col Goh said the firefighters brought the blaze under control within two hours.

Checks by The Straits Times online showed that the site is listed by manufacturer Sika Singapore as its head office. The company is a subsidiary of Sika AG, a speciality chemical company based in Switzerland that supplies the building and construction industry as well as manufacturing industries.

Migrant workers staying in the nearby dormitories said they detected an acrid smell from about 6.30pm.

Mr Nebaron Bormon Komol, 42, a worker from Bangladesh, said he could see the smoke from almost 2km away in Tuas South Avenue 4.

A video of the fire that he took at about 7.30pm showed thick black smoke billowing from the compound.

Another worker, who wanted to be known only as Mr Aminul, 49, from Bangladesh, said he was worried when he saw the large cloud of smoke, but came out of his dormitory nearby and headed towards the scene instead of away from it.

He said: “The smell was strong, but later the wind blew it away.

“I was quite scared, but I wanted to see what was happening.”

At about 9pm, flames could still be seen from the middle floors of the building.

Videos on social media showed plumes of black smoke billowing from a blaze on the lower floors of a building that looks to be more than two storeys high.

Another video shows the fire engulfing the building.

In a final update on Facebook at about 12.35am on Tuesday, SCDF said once the fire has been extinguished, firefighters will remain at the site to damp down the affected areas with water.

Damp down refers to the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out. It is to prevent the potential rekindling of the fire.

Earlier in the evening, SCDF warned members of the public to avoid the area by sending a message through the SMS Public Alert System and the SGSecure app.

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/scdf-firefighters-battling-blaze-in-tuas-south-warehouse?utm_campaign=stfb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR24M8zQlgIPwl7PuElIXnacyJnQSC-zd_CpZDYX4lGrFXbhphcYOUgnPpk

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SINGAPORE – About 100 people were evacuated and one person was injured when an explosion blew open a section of the building at the Audi service centre in Ubi on Tuesday morning.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), in a Facebook post, said preliminary investigations found that a fire had broken out in the motor room located on the ground floor of the building. However, it burned out before SCDF officers arrived.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SCDF said its officers arrived to find that a section on the side of the building had collapsed.

The explosion happened at about 8.55am in the building, located at 55 Ubi Road 1, SCDF said.

Several members of the public had seen smoke coming from the motor room and used fire extinguishers to put the fire out before SCDF officers arrived.

However, one of them fell and got abrasions on both hands. He was taken to Raffles Hospital, SCDF said.

When The Straits Times arrived, officers from the SCDF were seen examining the rubble-strewn site.

People working in the area said they heard a loud explosion in the morning and experienced aftershocks in its wake.

Mr Kumar P. Rajagopal, a facilities manager at Crocodile House located in the building next to the service centre, said he heard a big explosion when he was in his seventh-storey office.

The 57-year-old manager said: “The explosion shook the whole building and the stacked boxes in the office fell over.

“I went outside and saw the wall collapsed with glass shards scattered all around. There was smoke coming from one of the tanks. Even my friend in the neighbouring Yi Guang building said he felt the building shake.”

Audi, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, said the Ubi 55 building will be closed temporarily while investigations continue. It added that Audi Singapore is working with the authorities to identify the cause of the explosion.

In response to queries, Audi said SCDF has certified that the Ubi 55 building is safe to occupy. It added that the Audi service centre at 55 Ubi Road 1 will remain closed for now, but hopes to resume operations by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, customers with cars at the service centre or upcoming appointments in the next few days have been contacted and alternative arrangements have been made. There will be no new appointments accepted until the service centre reopens.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said it has issued a closure order for the affected section of the building, which has been cordoned off for the safety of the public.

A BCA spokesman said: “BCA’s engineers have inspected the building and found localised damage to non-structural elements in the motor room, including brick walls, false ceilings and lift doors. The rest of the building is not affected by the explosion and is safe.”

A professional engineer appointed by the building owner will be required to conduct a detailed investigation and recommend permanent rectification works to be carried out, the spokesman added.

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/100-people-evacuated-1-person-injured-after-explosion-rips-out-wall-at-audi-service-centre-in-ubi

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SINGAPORE: A 53-year-old Singaporean man died following a workplace accident at a warehouse last Thursday (Feb 2), the fourth workplace fatality so far this year.

The accident, which occurred at about 2.15pm at 61 Alexandra Terrace Harbour Link Complex, involved three men who had been unloading a shipment of glass doors from a shipping container, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.

“In the process, nine glass doors toppled onto them,” it said.

Two workers were injured and taken to the National University Hospital, where the 53-year-old man later died of his injuries.

The other man is in stable condition, MOM added. The third worker was not injured.

The ministry added it has instructed AGL Facade Systems to stop all work activities, and appoint a workplace safety and health auditor to review their work practices.

MOM also barred the company from hiring new foreign workers for three months.

“The director of AGL Facade Systems will also be required to personally account to MOM and take direct responsibility for rectifications,” it said.

According to the ministry, glass sheets and glass panels should be bundled in upright positions within wooden crates when being transported in shipping containers.

“For safe unloading, forklifts or purpose-built telescopic handlers should be used,” it said. “If the items are to be manually shifted, proper means of support (e.g. props, braces, frames, restraint belts) must be provided to prevent other items within the container from toppling.”

MOM is investigating the accident.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/worker-dies-after-glass-doors-toppled-him-4th-workplace-fatality-year-3262531

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SINGAPORE: Five months into a heightened safety period imposed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the rate of workplace fatalities is down.

But an uptick in major injuries suggests that workplace accidents are still occurring as a result of post-COVID-19 pressures on businesses.

In 2022, there were 46 workplace deaths, higher than the 37 recorded in 2021, 30 in 2020 and 39 in 2019. The number was the highest since 2016, when there were 66 fatalities at work.

After the number of deaths in a month hit 10 in April 2022, MOM began to tighten safety measures and increase engagement with companies to improve workplace safety.

The ministry then introduced, from Sep 1, a six-month heightened safety period with further measures to increase penalties and improve accountability from company management.

Since then, the number of fatalities has gone down from an average of 4.5 per month in the first eight months of 2022, to 2.5 per month from September to December.

These figures were shared by MOM on Thursday (Jan 19) at the closing of the 8th meeting of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) for Workplace Safety and Health (WSH).

Speaking at a media briefing, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad likened the heightened safety period to Singapore’s pandemic “circuit breaker” of lockdown measures in 2020.

It has provided an opportunity “to take a step back and review the learning points, as well as analyse the root causes of the fatalities and major injuries across various sectors, so that we can improve our practices and strengthen regulations and enforcement if required”, said Mr Zaqy.

MORE SME WORKERS INJURED

Still, the number of major injuries suffered at the workplace went from an average of 49.1 per month from January to August last year, to 55.3 per month in the last four months of 2022.

A breakdown of the numbers showed that safety records for fatalities and major injuries in the construction industry improved. Performance was mixed within other high-risk industries.

There was also some improvement in the manufacturing sector. But in sectors like admin and support as well as wholesale and retail, the number of major injuries went up.

An MOM spokesperson highlighted that for the three industries with the highest risk of workplace injuries – construction, manufacturing and transport and storage – more workers from small- and medium-sized companies suffered injuries, compared with those from large firms.

This was not the case for other industries including accommodation and food services, and wholesale and retail.

But across sectors, the injured workers tended to have less experience on the job, with a greater proportion having less than three years in the firm.

MOM noted that many companies – especially SMEs – continue to be challenged by pandemic-induced project delays, manpower shortages and supply chain disruptions, which have in turn created “upward pressure” for increased workplace injuries.

While workplace accidents spiked post-COVID-19, the IAP’s report noted that workplace fatalities in Singapore went from 3.1 per 100,000 workers in 2006 down to 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2021.

The latest spike brought the rate up to 1.3 per 100,000 workers last year.

MOM said 2022’s spate of workplace fatalities were largely due to “basic safety lapses”.

“We need to prevent such workplace incidents from happening. In the longer term, Singapore also needs to better support our ageing workforce and be prepared for potential WSH (workplace safety and health) hazards that may arise with new technologies,” said a spokesperson.

The IAP offered eight recommendations to generate stronger motivation for companies and workers to adopt WSH practices and build up their knowledge and awareness.

The recommendations, which the Singapore Government has accepted, are to:

1. Emphasise top management’s responsibility for WSH
2. Extend WSH oversight to contractors in the whole supply chain
3. Bring interest of business into greater alignment with WSH
4. Build workplaces where workers feel safe to speak up
5. Inculcate a more pervasive training culture beyond foundation training and level up WSH practices
6. Improve WSH know-how of SMEs
7. Promote age-friendly workplace safety practices and designs
8. Pre-emptively address WSH risks arising from climate change and green technology

Mr Zaqy stressed that top management must “take responsibility” to strengthen WSH by integrating safety into all operations, and fostering a safe operations culture.

“You must also build workplaces where workers feel safe to speak up and empower them to raise WSH concerns without fear of repercussions,” he said.

“This way, the workers can confidently take care of themselves and their fellow workers.”

BRIGHT SPOTS AND AREAS OF CONCERN

To help SMEs digest reams of information about safety practices, authorities and regulators will distil and simplify existing safety guidelines and materials into bite-sized content, said Mr Zaqy.

He said the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce (MAST), which was set up in October last year, will look into requirements for each sector to help improve safety standards that main contractors and sub-contractors must meet before they are awarded contracts.

“This will bring the interest of businesses into greater alignment with WSH. However, it is not always about the ‘stick’,” Mr Zaqy added.

“We would have to consider offering incentives for good WSH performance and practices as well, such as in procurement contracts, or work injury insurance.”

Responding to the media on whether the heightened safety period would be extended, he said authorities were still considering the issue.

“We’ve seen certain bright spots, but there are also still areas of concern that we think we can improve, so we are watching the indicators quite closely,” he said.

IAP panel members, comprising international and Singapore industry experts, also highlighted the need to ensure safety as a part of companies’ operations and culture.

They commended Singapore’s efforts in encouraging adoption of WSH technology and addressing WSH risks arising from climate change and green technology.

Mr Zaqy said Singapore had set out in 2017 its WSH 2028 vision, with targets in line with those of the safest countries in the world. The target set then was a workplace fatal injury rate at less than 1.0 per 100,000 workers by 2028.

“Last year, we faced some challenges as the economy reopened after COVID,” he said. “We must do what it takes to bring our WSH performance back on target.”

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/workplace-safety-deaths-injuries-workers-zaqy-mom-3217311

SINGAPORE: Construction company EC Builders has been fined S$170,000 over safety lapses that led to one of its employees suffering a serious injury in a 2019 worksite accident, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday (Jan 4).

The company was sentenced on Dec 9 under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, MOM said in an alert for the month of December.

The incident occurred on Aug 1, 2019, when Ali Mohammad Sohag, a construction worker employed by EC Builders, was instructed by his supervisor to inspect and tighten lifelines at a worksite.

“In the course of his work, he walked on top of steel bars that were placed on a formwork structure,” MOM said.

“He was not anchored to a lifeline, and subsequently slipped and fell from a height of 12m.

“He was conveyed to Changi General Hospital and diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.”

MOM’s investigations found that EC Builders had failed to ensure that Ali had the relevant training and instruction regarding the installation of lifelines.

The company also failed to properly consider the hazards relating to the installation of lifelines and the health and safety risks such work posed.

Additionally, MOM found that EC Builders failed to ensure that Ali was properly supervised when he was tightening the lifelines.

“Providing a safe work environment is a basic responsibility of all employers. Employers must ensure that safe work measures are in place to mitigate risks, especially those that could result in fatalities or major injuries,” the ministry said.

“Workers must also keep a lookout for themselves and their co-workers.

“In the case of EC Builders Pte Ltd, there was a lack of basic safety precautions and respect for safety standards and requirements. As a result, a worker was seriously injured.”

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mom-construction-company-ec-builders-fined-over-safety-lapses-3181961

SINGAPORE — A 28-year-old worker involved in tree pruning works died on Wednesday (Dec 7) after a mishap involving the loading of a tree trunk. This took to 43 the number of workplace deaths so far this year, already well above last year’s total of 37.

In a news release on Thursday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that the fatal accident happened at around 3.30pm along Toa Payoh East Road, near 1003 Toa Payoh Industrial Park.

The ministry said that the man, a Bangladeshi, was involved in the loading of tree trunks using a lorry crane after the tree-pruning works.

During the lifting operation, a tree trunk that was being hoisted dislodged from its lifting sling and struck the man.

This caused him to fall and hit his head against the pavement.

The man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after, MOM said.

The ministry is investigating the accident and it had ordered the man’s employer — Penta Landscape — to stop all pruning and lifting activities.

It added: “As a general safety measure, all loads must be properly rigged and secured by a competent rigger before conducting any lifting operation by mobile cranes.”

The 43 workplace deaths so far this year already exceed the 37 workplace deaths for the whole of 2021.

Last month, two workplace incidents occurred, including one on Nov 26 involving a 69-year-old worker who fell while cleaning windows.

The other fatality happened on Nov 25 and involved a 41-year-old India national who was involved in scaffolding works at Singapore Refining Company in Jurong Island when he fell into the sea.

Source: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/28-year-old-worker-dies-tree-pruning-incident-toa-payoh-taking-workplace-deaths-43-so-far-2022-2066846