SINGAPORE: A higher rate of workplace fatalities was reported in the first half of 2022, even as the number of reported workplace injuries fell, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Sep 16).
There were 28 workplace deaths in the first half of the year, bringing the 6-month fatality rate per 100,000 workers to 0.8.
This was higher than the 0.4 deaths per 100,000 workers in the second half of 2021 and 0.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers in the first half of last year. A total of 14 workplace deaths were reported in the second half of last year, and 23 deaths were reported in the preceding half.
Falls from height and vehicular-related incidents made up half of the 28 deaths reported in the first six months of 2022.
“MOM is concerned with the high rate of fatality,” said the ministry. It introduced a series of measures and called for a six-month period of heightened safety from Sep 1 to Feb 28, 2023.
A total of 10,429 workplace injuries were reported in the first half of 2022, 4.5 per cent lower compared with the second half of 2021, when 10,915 injuries were reported.
“This was driven by a decline in the number of both major and minor injuries,” said MOM.
MAJOR INJURY RATE
A total of 297 major injuries were reported in the first half of 2022, compared with 294 major injuries in the second half of last year.
The major injury rate per 100,000 workers for the first half of 2022 fell to 8.7, down from 8.9 in the second half of last year. The rate of 8.7 was lower compared with pre-COVID levels, said MOM.
“However, major injuries are still a concern as they reflect persistent safety lapses at workplaces,” said the Manpower Ministry.
There were also fewer minor injuries reported in the first half of 2022, with 10,104, compared with 10,607 in the second half of last year.
Slips, trips and falls remained the leading cause of both major and minor injuries, accounting for 95 of the 297 major injuries and 2,887 of the minor injuries.