Since when have lives become so cheep in Peesai?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>March 31, 2009
WORKSITE SAFETY
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>More died on the job last year
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Over half of 67 deaths came from construction and marine industries </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Crane crashes, like this one in February last year at the National University of Singapore that killed three, are one of the most common causes of worksite injuries and deaths. -- ST FILE PHOTO
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MORE workers died on the job last year compared with 2007, putting a question mark over Singapore's efforts to make worksites safer.
A total of 67 people died in work-related incidents, compared with 63 in 2007. More than half were from the construction and marine industries.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
DEATH AND INJURIES RISE
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Still, because the workforce grew even more quickly in the same period, the workplace fatality rate - a global indicator to measure workplace safety - actually improved.
There were 2.8 deaths per 100,000 workers last year, compared with 2.9 in 2007.
But Singapore is some way from its 2018 goal, set by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year, to achieve fewer than 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers.
The latest casualty figures were released yesterday by the industry-led Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council at its Programme-Based Engagement (ProBE) seminar at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh, for 500 employers and safety officers.
The council's report card on workplace safety in Singapore said that while the number of fatal incidents last year, 60, was comparable to the 59 in 2007, more of them involved multiple victims.
Twelve men died in five such incidents last year, compared with seven in three incidents in 2007.
Workplace injuries were also up. A total of 11,072 workers were hurt last year - an average of 30 a day - up more than 11 per cent from the average of 27 in 2007.
The Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) safety officials reviewed the incidents and zoomed in on three common causes of injuries and deaths at worksites:
Falls: They were the top killer, accounting for nearly a third of worksite deaths. A study presented yesterday found that some people working at height either do not wear safety harnesses or are not protected by barricades to prevent them from falling.
Confined spaces: Incidents in confined spaces, such as tunnels and gas tanks, often resulted in multiple fatalities. Last year, seven workers were killed in three incidents. Three were trapped in a fire while four suffocated.
Mr Suresh Navaratnam, a director in MOM's occupational safety and health division, said a new law to better regulate working in confined spaces will be introduced in the next few months.
Cranes: Crane crashes are becoming a concern at the slew of building sites that came up during the boom years. Last year, there were three crane collapses, killing five.
Last Saturday, a boom lift fell from a crane at the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort worksite, injuring three workers.
Mr Navaratnam said MOM's safety officers are looking into safer crane operations and better training for personnel.
WSH Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said Singapore could still get on track to slashing its fatality rate to 1.8 deaths per 100,000 workers within the next 10 years.
With many of the problems arising in smaller operations, he said that bigger companies should relook how they hired subcontractors and how these smaller companies handled safety.
One incentive would be to tie rewards and bonuses given to subcontractors to their safety records, he said.
On the flipside, MOM said it is not easing up on enforcement.
Stop-work orders can put employers out of action for between three and 14 days - causing them to fall behind their work schedules and generate punitive losses.
Though MOM declined to give figures, news reports indicate that at least six workers have died in the first three months of this year. [email protected]
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>March 31, 2009
WORKSITE SAFETY
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>More died on the job last year
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Over half of 67 deaths came from construction and marine industries </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Crane crashes, like this one in February last year at the National University of Singapore that killed three, are one of the most common causes of worksite injuries and deaths. -- ST FILE PHOTO
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MORE workers died on the job last year compared with 2007, putting a question mark over Singapore's efforts to make worksites safer.
A total of 67 people died in work-related incidents, compared with 63 in 2007. More than half were from the construction and marine industries.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Still, because the workforce grew even more quickly in the same period, the workplace fatality rate - a global indicator to measure workplace safety - actually improved.
There were 2.8 deaths per 100,000 workers last year, compared with 2.9 in 2007.
But Singapore is some way from its 2018 goal, set by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year, to achieve fewer than 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers.
The latest casualty figures were released yesterday by the industry-led Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council at its Programme-Based Engagement (ProBE) seminar at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh, for 500 employers and safety officers.
The council's report card on workplace safety in Singapore said that while the number of fatal incidents last year, 60, was comparable to the 59 in 2007, more of them involved multiple victims.
Twelve men died in five such incidents last year, compared with seven in three incidents in 2007.
Workplace injuries were also up. A total of 11,072 workers were hurt last year - an average of 30 a day - up more than 11 per cent from the average of 27 in 2007.
The Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) safety officials reviewed the incidents and zoomed in on three common causes of injuries and deaths at worksites:
Falls: They were the top killer, accounting for nearly a third of worksite deaths. A study presented yesterday found that some people working at height either do not wear safety harnesses or are not protected by barricades to prevent them from falling.
Confined spaces: Incidents in confined spaces, such as tunnels and gas tanks, often resulted in multiple fatalities. Last year, seven workers were killed in three incidents. Three were trapped in a fire while four suffocated.
Mr Suresh Navaratnam, a director in MOM's occupational safety and health division, said a new law to better regulate working in confined spaces will be introduced in the next few months.
Cranes: Crane crashes are becoming a concern at the slew of building sites that came up during the boom years. Last year, there were three crane collapses, killing five.
Last Saturday, a boom lift fell from a crane at the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort worksite, injuring three workers.
Mr Navaratnam said MOM's safety officers are looking into safer crane operations and better training for personnel.
WSH Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said Singapore could still get on track to slashing its fatality rate to 1.8 deaths per 100,000 workers within the next 10 years.
With many of the problems arising in smaller operations, he said that bigger companies should relook how they hired subcontractors and how these smaller companies handled safety.
One incentive would be to tie rewards and bonuses given to subcontractors to their safety records, he said.
On the flipside, MOM said it is not easing up on enforcement.
Stop-work orders can put employers out of action for between three and 14 days - causing them to fall behind their work schedules and generate punitive losses.
Though MOM declined to give figures, news reports indicate that at least six workers have died in the first three months of this year. [email protected]
