Minister of State for Manpower, Mr Sam Tan joined MOM inspectors on an enforcement operation at a workplace this week. This inspection is a part of stepping up enforcement measures to improve vehicular safety at workplaces. The vehicular safety inspection operations code-named as Roadrunner will cover 250 inspections as planned over a period of 8 weeks.
These measures were implemented observing the trends over the first five months of 2017, wherein vehicular incidents was the highest contributor to workplace fatalities. During the period of 2017, there were 287 vehicular work injuries, of which 6 were fatal.
Over the same period, MOM conducted over 400 inspections of warehouses, storage yards, factories and construction sites, focusing on workplace traffic management practices. 1 in 5 of the inspections uncovered poor traffic management practices.
The main contraventions are lack of segregation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and poor key control of vehicles, which can lead to unauthorised or improper use of vehicles such as forklifts. More than 600 enforcement actions, ranging from composition fines to legal prosecution were taken.
See: MOM Launches Initiatives to Enhance Safety of Workers at the Construction Sites
Post the inspection, Minister of State for Manpower, Mr Sam Tan said: “MOM’s enforcement efforts are not simply to catch errant workers and employers from doing the wrong things, but more to teach them how to do the right things on safety and health hazards. So this is an inspection and education operation to create greater awareness among workers and employers. The recent spate of vehicle related incidents is worrying and clearly shows that more is needed to promote good practices. I urge employers to ensure that vehicular risks are assessed, mitigated and communicated to workers.”
Under the WSH Act, companies that fail to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of their workers can be fined up to $500,000 for the first offence.
Also read: Workplace Safety: How Can You Prevent Common Injuries at Work?
