STRATEGY 3Promote the Benefits of WSH

and Recognise Best Practices

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 51

STRATEGY 3

Enforcement alone will not bring about sustained behavioural

change in stakeholders. For stakeholders to truly commit to

improving workplace safety and health (WSH), they must be

convinced of its benefits.

OSHD engages stakeholders extensively through events

such as symposiums, forums and road shows to promote the

benefits of WSH and to share the latest in WSH developments.

These events serve as platforms for interaction and sharing

of WSH best practices amongst stakeholders and targets

both individuals and organisations in recognition that all

stakeholders have a role to play in improving WSH outcomes.

OUTREACHWe adopt a robust public outreach strategy with multiple

touch points to help organisations ramp up their WSH

strategies and fine-tune their management system. From

WSH-related conventions, forums to clinics, there were

numerous opportunities in 2012 for businesses to discuss

and deliberate on how best to improve WSH standards.

bizSAFE Convention 2012bizSAFE Convention 2012 was held on 16 February 2012

at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel with the theme,

“Get your business safe and ready”. This year’s focus was

to reach out to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the

new sectors, in line with marketing efforts for the Extension

of the WSH Act since it took effect on September 2011.

Close to 900 participants attended the Convention,

exceeding the original intended target of 800. We also had

136 registered attendees for the complimentary bizSAFE

Level 1 workshops, and 80 attendees for the workplace

visits to Parkway Parade’s mall management and Coca-

Cola’s manufacturing plant.

The Minister-of-State for National Development and

Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin was also present as the Guest-

of-Honour to recognise the bizSAFE Award Winners in the

inaugural bizSAFE Awards 2012.

WSH Awards 2012The annual WSH Awards are presented to companies and

individuals who have demonstrated their commitment

and exemplary standards in WSH. Through the national

prestigious award, WSH Council aims to raise the importance

of WSH and encourage businesses to improve safety and

health at the workplace.

This year’s awards saw 228 companies and projects that

did not have any reportable incidents. This was better than

last year’s 178 companies and projects. The award winners

include 185 companies and projects that have performed

exceedingly well in the WSH Performance Awards,

innovative teams who have derived safer and better

working conditions as well as supervisors who have kept

their workplaces safe.

The WSH Developer Award was also given to first-time

winners, CapitaLand Residential Singapore and Keppel Land,

which have exhibited excellent management of contractors

and projects.

In addition to those recognised by the awards, another

55 companies and projects also received certificates of

commendation for having achieved good performance with

zero injuries over at least 1.5 million man-hours.

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STRATEGY 3

Design for Safety (DfS) Recognition Scheme The Design for Safety (DfS) Recognition Scheme was

launched on 30 November 2011. It is an annual programme

organised by the WSH Council, in collaboration with OSHD,

to recognise projects and teams which have adopted DfS and

reduced risk through the design of buildings or structures.

The Scheme consists of the DfS Mark and DfS Award.

DfS MarkThe Mark is applicable to a new building or structure project

and gives recognition to:

Competent DfS teams; and

Projects which have adopted DfS through Guidelines

on Design for Safety in Buildings and Structures, or

equivalent processes; resulting in buildings/structure

designs which address critical risk elements.

DfS AwardThe Award is applicable to a new building or structure

project and gives recognition to outstanding projects and

teams that fulfil all the criteria of the DfS Mark with building/

structure designs which have utilised exemplary measures

to address critical risk elements.

Design for Safety (DfS) – DfS Awareness Series and DfS Focus Group Discussion The WSH Council rolled out the Design for Safety (DfS)

Awareness series in 2012 to raise awareness on DfS amongst

key construction stakeholder groups. The Awareness series

consists of two components:

Joint DfS seminars with Associations/ Agencies

- in which we partnered with various agencies/

associations to put DfS as a focus in their seminars for

members. These events included:

REDAS Construction Safety Seminar

BCAA – iOSH International Conference in WSH

for the Construction Industry

SCAL Construction Safety Seminar

CIB W099 International Conference on

Construction Safety

Direct engagement with major construction clients and

consultants in which small teams visited construction

clients and consultants to provide an overview of DfS – to

gain buy-in from these two stakeholder groups which play

key roles in kick-starting and sustaining the DfS process.

The DfS Awareness series will continue in 2013.

WSH Council, in collaboration with MOM, organised a DfS

FGD in August 2012 to review the state of DfS in Singapore

and shape the way forward for DfS in terms of the types of

capability building necessary and how it could be promoted

and/or possibly regulated. The session included a sharing of

findings from a Survey on DfS conducted between June and

mid-July 2012, as well as facilitated discussion and ideation

on how to move DfS forward. The FGD was attended

by nearly 70 participants from the key DfS stakeholder

groups, namely clients/ developers, consultants, designers,

contractors and DfS Coordinators. The discussions from the

FGD helped provide input to the strategic roadmap on DfS

for the construction sector.

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 53

STRATEGY 3

WSH Council Forum for Safe Working at HeightsTo educate the stakeholders on working safely at heights, a WSH Forum – Safe Working at Heights was held on 30 October

2012. It was well-attended by close to 450 industry stakeholders and featured case studies and best practices on preventative

approaches, scaffold and ladder safety, including a live demonstration on safe access and using a harness while working at

heights. The Council also shared updates from the draft WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations.

WSH Council Forum for Vector Control IndustryTo help the vector control industry better understand their roles and responsibilities under WSH Act, WSH Council, in

collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Pest Management

Association (SPMA), organised a seminar for the vector control operators and companies on 23 August 2012. Participants

were updated on the changes in legislation and learnt about the advantages of a risk management approach, systematic

management of chemical hazards and the importance of medical surveillance. Industry speakers also shared their best

practices regarding the protection of workers’ health.

Leadership Dialogue with UK Health & Wellness Expert Advisor, Dame Carol BlackIn September 2012, WSH Council, in collaboration

with Jurong Health Services, organised a dialogue

with Dame Carol Black on Workplace Health & Well

Being. At the informative session, Dame Carol Black

shared her recent work on sickness absence, and the

relationship between workplace health and wellbeing,

and employee engagement with the healthcare

community and leaders.

Formation of WSH Council (Hospitality and Entertainment Industries) CommitteeUnder the recommendations of the WSH Council (Hospitality and Facilities Management) Pro Tem Committee, the WSH

Council (Hospitality and Entertainment Industries) Committee was formed in June 2012, to address the increasing trend of

accidents in the sector. The Committee comprises top management and leaders from the hotel, F&B, MICE, as well as the arts,

entertainment and recreation industries. Various associations and unions were also roped in to ensure that there is adequate

outreach and representation from the different sectors.

The Committee will focus its efforts on three key areas, namely, raising awareness and WSH capabilities as well as strengthening

stakeholders’ involvement. The Committee will also be embarking on several projects in the coming year such as revising the

existing Hotel and F&B Guidelines to include the MICE industry, collaborating with other agencies to produce a Kitchen Safety

& Health Kit and outreach programmes with the new sectors.

54 OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012

STRATEGY 3

The SCIC is the official body representing the chemical

industry in Singapore and is appointed by SPRING Singapore,

the National Standards Body which manages the Chemical

Standards Committee (CSC). SCIC represents members

ranging from large multinational companies to local Small

Medium Enterprises.

The SCIC-MOM Dialogue session is an annual exchange

dialogue and exchange session between SCIC and MOM,

OSHD. This dialogue session serves as an important platform

toward synergetic and collaborative WSH environment in

the chemical Industry in Singapore. This dialogue session

is attended by representatives from the chemical industries

and service providers for the chemical industries.

The dialogue session this year opened with the Commissioner

of WSH, Er Ho Siong Hin giving an opening address, urging

the industry to continue with their effort in occupational

safety and at the same time focus on process safety. SCIC

followed up by sharing their past year collaborative efforts

within the industry and regulatory agencies in Singapore.

This was followed by a sharing by MOM on various OSHD

initiatives relevant to the chemical industry such as SNAP@

MOM and Working at Heights. Asbestos control and

proposed enhancement to asbestos control in Singapore

were shared among participants.

Participants were also given a first-hand look at the different

regulatory approaches taken to manage Major Hazards

Installation abroad.

A variety of issues were shared and discussed during this

session and it further cements OSHD’s working relationships

with the various stakeholders in the chemical industry.

Singapore Chemical Industries Council (SCIC) - MOM Dialogue Session

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 55

STRATEGY 3

HDB Safety Workshop Seminar – 24 Aug 2012

Involvement in Outreach Seminars and Forums The OSH Specialist Department is actively involved in many outreach seminars and forums held by WSH Council and the

industry, academia and professional organisations. Such seminars and forums served as a good platform for our Specialists

who were invited as speakers. They were able to share with the industry the Ministry’s efforts in promoting the benefits of

WSH best practices and legislations. Some of such outreach events were:

26 April 2012 BCA Seminar on Ensuring Safe Design and Construction within Residential Estates

29 June 2012 SCAL Roof Works Safety Forum

20 July 2012 SCIC- MOM Dialogue

27 July 2012 DSTA Facilities Management Sharing

28 July 2012 11th Asia Pacific Congress on Deafness 2012, Preventing hearing loss in the workplace: Singapore’s experience

24 August 2012 HDB Safety Workshop Seminar

7 September 2012 Technical Seminar on Risk-Based Management for Safety & Reliability for Pressure System

10-11 September 2012 Crane Asia Conference 2012

14 September 2012 IPAF Asia Conference ‘Raising The Standard’

12 October 2012 BCA Seminar on Safety of Existing Building Structures and Slopes

18 October 2012 Bedok Safety Seminar

19 October 2012 NDTSS Seminar – Recent Advances in Non-Destructive Testing to Improve Safety, Reliability & Productivity

3 November 2012 Singapore Veterinary Conference 2012, Workplace Safety and Health for the Veterinary Sector

8 November 2012 Ministry of Health Healthcare Quality Improvement (MOH-HQI) Conference, Raising Workplace Safety and Health Awareness in the Healthcare Sector

30 November 2012 NUS Faculty of Dentistry’s Safety Day, Workplace Safety and Health – What it Means to You

DATE EVENTS

56 OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012

STRATEGY 3

Technical Seminar on Risk-Based Management for Safety & Reliability for Pressure System – 7 Sept 2012

Crane Asia Conference 2012 – 10 to 11 Sept 2012

Bedok Safety Seminar – 18 Oct 2012

IPAF Asia Conference 2012 – 14 Sept 2012

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 57

STRATEGY 3

The WSH Council together with OSHD organised a half day

seminar to raise awareness of noise and chemical hazards

and their management on 27 July 2012.

The seminar presented the Hearing Conservation

Programme (HCP) and the Management of Hazardous

Chemicals Programme for noise and chemical management,

as well as the results of the inspection cum auditing carried

out by MOM pertaining to compliance to the key elements

of the programmes. Industry speakers also shared their

experiences on how they implemented HCP and and the

Management of Hazardous Chemicals Programme at

their workplace, and the challenges and benefits of these

programmes. The seminar was attended by over 500

participants.

RESEARCH, STUDIES AND LEARNINGTo achieve our vision of being a country renowned for

best practices in Workplace Safety and Health, OSHD will

continue to drive our research endeavours so that Singapore

can be at the forefront of WSH developments in the world.

WSH Institute Forums and EngagementsWSH Institute continued to engage our stakeholders,

particularly the local research community, through forums

and dialogue sessions.

In July 2012, the Institute organised an open forum, “From

evidence to action: What works?”, with invited guest speaker

Professor Harri Vainio, current Director General of the

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH). During the

forum, Professor Vainio presented on both the importance

as well as limitations of scientific evidence to OSH policies,

initiatives and outcomes.

In the same month, WSH Institute hosted Prof Scott Clark, Professor

Emeritus with the University of Cincinnati, for an industry dialogue

session involving stakeholders from NUS, WDA, Singapore

Seminar on Management of Noise and Chemicals at Workplace

Engagement with Medical Institutions - Combined Platform with Restructured HospitalsIn the course of processing work injury compensation

(WIC) claims, MOM will need to liaise with hospitals on a

regular basis to facilitate the returns of the Medical Reports.

To foster good working relationships with the hospital staff,

MOM continually engages them at various levels. Besides

holding briefings with doctors, MOM also meets up with

the Medical Records Department which facilitates the

completion and return of our Medical Reports.

MOM meets with the Medical Records Department of the 6

public hospitals annually. Through the meetings, operational

issues and processes were discussed to explore methods

of work improvement and opportunities to streamline

processes. Good practices of each hospital were also

shared with MOM. The dialogue and information sharing of

work processes in these meetings was helpful in improving

the turnaround time of Medical Reports submitted to MOM.

In order to share the best practices of different hospitals

with one another, MOM held a combined platform for

all 6 public hospitals to enable cross sharing among the

various hospitals. The initiative was successful, with positive

feedback received from the hospital staff. Following this, we

went on to hold the second combined meeting this year,

and will continue to do so in subsequent years.

58 OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012

STRATEGY 3

Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Occupational

and Environmental Health Society. During the session,

Prof Clark shared his experience on the development of

postgraduate programmes in Occupational Hygiene.

Implementing the National WSH Research AgendaThe National WSH Research Agenda 2011-2016, finalised

after extensive consultation with industry stakeholders and

WSH experts, serves to provide researchers with a guided

and focused approach to develop solutions that address

local WSH needs. To implement the research agenda, as

well as to build up WSH research capabilities locally, WSH

Institute had invited interested researchers / consultants

to submit relevant WSH research proposals. The call for

proposals received positive responses from researchers

and consultants, with two consultants being awarded the

following projects:

Study on the Root Causes of Falls from Height - This

project seeks to determine the root causes of falling

from height, including human factors.

Fatigue Risk Management System for Marine and

Logistic & Transport Workers - This study investigates

the impact of fatigue on the situational awareness of

workers and assesses the effectiveness of the Fatigue

Risk Management System (FRMS) in reducing fatigue

amongst workers.

WSH Institute Research Projects

Research Project on Truck-Mounted Refuse Bins (Collaboration with HSL)In a concluded research project which was co-funded

by various stakeholders including NEA, MOM and waste

management companies, the WSH Institute examined the

hazards of truck- mounted refuse bins dropping from the

trucks when discharging refuse at incinerators. The project

was carried out in collaboration with the Health and Safety

Laboratory (HSL, UK). Based on the findings, the WSH Institute

then engaged and worked with stakeholders to successfully

implement the recommendations. The Institute’s Research-to-

Practice approach that engages all stakeholders’ right from the

inception of the project contributed significantly to its success.

Study on WSH trainersThe WSH Institute concluded a study on WSH Trainers in

August 2012 to profile the trainers engaged by Approved

Training Providers (ATP) while also understanding their

training needs and motivations towards continuous learning

and development. The study also gathered useful feedback

on the Institute’s WSH T3 programme. Findings and

recommendations were shared with representatives from

MOM, WDA and the Institute’s WSH T3 advisory committee.

The study provided useful input for new initiatives to augment

the skills, knowledge and competency of WSH trainers.

WSH Institute Research Publications Some papers published by WSH Institute:

“Singapore workplace safety and health research agenda:

Research to Practice” – Journal of Safety, Health and

Environmental Research, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2012

The article detailed the development of Singapore’s first

national WSH research priorities agenda by WSH Institute.

A modified Delphi method was utilised to distil the large

amount of stakeholder opinions into a list of focused

research priorities.

“Economic cost of work-related injuries and ill health” -

Asian-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety,

Vol. 19, No. 2, October 2012

The article highlights the need to establish economic

importance of good WSH and compares the economic

models adopted by various countries. It also briefly

describes Singapore’s effort in developing an appropriate

model to estimate the economic costs of work-related

injuries and ill health for various groups of stakeholders.

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 59

STRATEGY 3

Study into the Safe Use of the Semi-Permanent Davit Arm System for Suspended ScaffoldsTo keep abreast of technological advances and product

development in Equipment Safety, engineers from the

Engineering Safety Branch would regularly conduct studies

to better understand the advancement in operational

functions and safety systems of such equipment. With the

increasing prevalent use of the semi-permanent Davit Arm

System in lieu of the conventional clamping system for

the outrigger for suspended scaffold (gondola), a study

was conducted to look into the operational functions

and safe use of such systems. Based on the study, OSHD

would share the safety measures required for the use of

such anchoring systems for suspended scaffolds with the

industry.

Site Visit StudiesEngineering Safety Branch Engineers regularly conduct

site visits to Crane Suppliers to learn more about the

current practices on the ground for safety matters as

well as for the maintenance and inspection of cranes. This

forms an important component for our continuous effort

for ground sensing and on site practical learning.

Construction Workplace Safety Health (WSH) StudyThe Construction WSH Study concluded in early 2012 under

the guidance of the WSH Council (Construction and Landscape)

Committee. Released in June 2012, the study focused on

understanding WSH concerns amongst SMEs within the

construction sector so as to suggest areas of improvement.

The study involved a series of focus group discussions

and face-to-face interviews with over 100 developers, SME

subcontractors, professionals, associations and professional

bodies. Surveys were also conducted with over 1,000

workers and supervisors from neighbouring countries.

The recommendations from the study underwent public

consultation in November 2011, with feedback received from

220 industry stakeholders before they were finalised. These

recommendations include:

For Developers to require main contractors to specify

safety costs in their tender price;

For Clients to develop incentive and recognition

schemes for SMEs to enable them to take the lead in

promoting and adopting good safety behaviour;

For all stakeholders, including developers, consultants,

main contractors and sub-contractors etc. to be jointly

accountable for safety;

To promote awareness and adoption of ‘Design for

Safety’ so that risks identified from the design stage

and during construction are recorded and transparent

to all relevant parties involved in the project;

To expand trade-specific tests overseas to ensure

workers meet minimum skills requirements for their trade;

To enhance the Construction Safety Orientation Course

with trade-specific safety training;

To develop accredited trade-specific WSH training

curriculum for the construction sector to further

enhance skills and competencies; and

For companies to attain a minimum of bizSAFE Level

3 to qualify for construction tenders; WSH Council to

promote industry awareness of bizSAFE programme.

The proposed recommendations, with the action plan

developed, will serve to complement the strategies

highlighted in the Construction WSH sectoral roadmap and

drive WSH in Construction.

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STRATEGY 3

Study Trip to Hong Kong – Safe CommunitiesAs outlined in our WSH2018 master plan, developing a progressive and pervasive WSH culture is pivotal to raising WSH

standards in Singapore. To propel Singapore to the next stage of our WSH journey, developing a culture in which all

Singaporeans prioritise safety and health at work is essential. Our approach is modelled after the World Health Organisation’s

Safe Communities initiative where communities are created based on multi-agency collaboration, by both the government

and private sector stakeholders, to promote safety in all aspects of life, addressing all ages, environments and situations.

To better understand how we can develop a safe and healthy culture in Singapore through community-driven efforts, OSHD,

WSH Council and WSH Institute staffed a trip led by SPS to Hong Kong, from 11-14 March 2012, to learn from its experience

with safe communities. Hong Kong was chosen as nine of its districts have been designated as safe communities by the WHO.

The Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) in Hong Kong had also been appointed by WHO as an Affiliate Safe

Community Support Centre and an International Safe Community Certifying Centre.

9th International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) International Scientific Conference 2012The IOHA Conference is a bi-annual event organised by IOHA for Occupational Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS)

professionals from around the world. In September 2012, the conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the theme

of “Growing the Seeds of Occupational Hygiene”. A variety of OEHS topics were presented in the form of technical sessions,

where experts in their areas shared their research findings.

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 61

STRATEGY 3

Specialist Learning Club (SLC) Series 2012OSH Specialists Department regularly conducts Learning Sessions where External Speakers are invited to speak on various

topics of interest to our Specialists. Where appropriate, the programme is also extended to other OSHDians depending on

the relevance of the subject matter.

Some of the SLC sessions that were conducted for 2012 include:

How to Attain Chartered Chemical Engineer by Mr Joe Eades, Vice Chairman of IChemE in Singapore

Introduction to Forensic Engineering by Mr David Tay, Mactcor Technology & Services Pte Ltd

Workplace Health Promotion Programmes by Mr Justin Ng, Deputy Director of Workplace Health Department,

Health Promotion Board

SLC Industry Speaker for How to Attain Chartered Chemical Engineer

Director (Specs) giving a token of appreciation to an Industry Speaker at an SLC session on Workplace Health Promotion Programmes