Workplace Safety & Health, 2008

National Statistics

CONTENTS
Highlights
Overview
Fatal Workplace Injuries
By Industry
By Type and Agency of Incident
Permanent Disablements
By Industry
By Type and Agency of Incident
Temporary Disablements
By Industry
By Type and Agency of Incident
Occupational Diseases
By Industry
By Type of Occupational Disease
Noise-induced Deafness
Occupational Skin Diseases 29
Other Occupational Diseases
Concluding Remarks 31
Annexes
Annex I 32
Annex II 34
List of Charts and Tables
National Statistics
HIGHLIGHTS
01 • The workplace fatality rate edged downwards to 2.8 deaths per 100,000 persons1 employed
in 2008 from 2.9 deaths per 100,000 persons the year before. This reduction in the fatality rate
03 brings Singapore closer towards the national target to reduce the workplace fatality rate to
less than 1.8 (deaths per 100,000 persons) by 2018.
07
• There was a 10.5% rise in total workplace injuries from 2007. There were 11,072 injuries
07 (including fatalities) reported in 2008, compared with 10,018 in 2007. Temporary disablements,
which formed the bulk of the reported injuries, saw a jump that is in tandem with the
10 considerable increase in the volume of work activities in some sectors.
14
WORKPLACE FATALITIES
14
16 • Though the fatality rate saw a decline in 2008, more lives were lost in workplace incidents.
There were 67 fatalities in 2008, up from 63 in 2007. The higher number of fatalities was mainly
18 contributed by a higher number of multiple-victim incidents – 5 incidents claimed a total of 12
lives in 2008.
19
• Construction continued to register the highest number of workplace fatalities. There were 25
21 fatalities in 2008, a slight increase from 24 in 2007. Nevertheless with the increase in work
activity and the size of the industry workforce, the work fatality rate fell to 6.9, down from 8.1
24 in 2007.
24 • Marine reported 13 fatalities in 2008, up from 11 in 2007. Multiple-victim incidents were also
seen in this sector – with 3 incidents claiming 7 lives. The industry’s fatality rate rose from 8.4
27 to 9.2 per 100,000 employed persons in 2008.
27 • For manufacturing, fatality numbers dropped as the metalworking sector recorded substantially
fewer deaths (3) in 2008, down from 8 in 2007.
• Water supply, sewage and waste management saw a significant increase from 1 fatality in 2007
30 to 5 in 2008. Logistics and transportation had 6 workplace deaths, up from 4 in 2007. About
half of these fatalities involved workers being struck by moving objects.
32
35
01
1
The lower rate came alongside a larger workforce in 2008 as a result of strong employment gains in the first three quarters
of 2008.
workplace safety and health 2008
PERMANENT DISABLEMENTS
• In 2008, 132 persons reported sustaining permanent injuries due to work incidents.
This translated to 5.6 workers permanently injured for every 100,000 persons employed.
Manufacturing continued to be the largest contributor to permanent disablements.
TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS
• Temporary disablements went up by 11% in 2008.
• The construction, marine and manufacturing sectors made up a combined 56% of total
temporary work injuries.
- Construction and marine saw a 17% and 15% increase respectively over the previous year.
This coincided with the rise in work activities in the two sectors.
- Manufacturing saw a 2% decline in temporary disablements and fewer fatalities. The sector
also clocked a comparatively lower volume of work activities.
- Among the 3 sectors, marine was the only one with an increased temporary disablement
rate.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
• There were 855 cases of occupational diseases (OD) confirmed, almost 1.5 times more than
the year before. The overall OD incidence stood at 36.2 cases per 100,000 persons employed,
up from 27.7 cases a year ago. This was mainly contributed by an increase in reported noise-
induced deafness (NID) cases, as a result of greater awareness on the detection and reporting
of NID cases from the ongoing 5-year NID Prevention Programme.
• For 99.7% of the NID cases, they were in their early stages. Hence it is possible to arrest further
deterioration of the hearing of these affected workers by getting these workplaces to enhance
their noise management practices. These workplaces were mainly in the supporting services
to air transport and manufacture of transport equipment.
02
National Statistics
OVERVIEW
• The workplace fatality rate has edged downward to 2.8 deaths per 100,000 persons
employed in 2008, from 2.9 in 2007 (Chart 1). This reflects continued progress towards
achieving the national target to reduce the workplace fatality rate to less than 1.8 by
2018.
• The number of fatal incidents happening in the workplace was comparable to 2007
(60 cases in 2008 against 59 cases in 2007). However, due to the occurrence of more
incidents claiming multiple victims (Table 1), the number of workplace fatalities rose
to 67 in 2008, up from 63 in the previous year. Although there were more fatalities in
2008, the fatality rate is lower due to the larger workforce, bolstered by employment
gains in 2008 2.
• Overall, the number of workplace injuries 3 at 11,072 (including fatalities) in 2008 was a
10.5% rise from 2007. Temporary disablements, which formed the bulk of the reported
injuries, rose from 9,792 in 2007 to 10,873 in 2008 as the volume of work activities
increased considerably in some sectors.
• Permanent disablements, which comprised mainly amputations of the upper limbs,
reduced from 163 injuries in 2007 to 132 in 2008 (Table 1), after incorporating new
data coding guidelines and rigorous verification of data for collection of more reliable
data 4. The ‘Machines Dangerous to Hands’ Programme-based Engagement (ProBE)
launched in 2008 to reduce amputation cases also contributed in helping to raise
awareness and the importance of keeping workers’ hands safe.
• The Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) which measures how often workplace incidents
occur, was 1.9 incidents per million man-hours worked in 2008, unchanged since 2006
(Chart 2). The Accident Severity Rate (ASR) continues to improve with a consistent
downtrend from 2004 (Chart 3). For every million man-hours worked, 112 man-days
were lost to workplace incidents in 2008, down from 116 a year ago. Though the rate
is lower, more man-days were lost due to incidents at work – 643,000 man-days were
lost in 2008, up from 617,000 man-days lost in the previous year. A detailed industry
breakdown of the ASR, AFR and man-days loss data can be found in Tables 1-1 and 1-2
in Annex 1.
Table 1: Number of Workplace Injuries and Occupational Diseases, 2007 and 2008
2008 2007
Overall workplace injuries 11,072 10,018
Fatal 67 63
Permanent disablement 132 163
Temporary disablement 10,873 9,792
Occupational diseases 855 602
2
Although the labour market shows signs of softening, with employment gains moderating in the third and fourth quarters
of 2008, the overall gains in 2008 are still relatively strong as compared to 2007.
3
A workplace injury is any personal injury, disease (acute) or death resulting from a workplace accident. Please refer to the
annex for the types of workplace injuries covered.
03
4
This is a relatively common practice among local and international statistical agencies such as the U.K’s Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) to improve data quality.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

Table 2: Key Workplace Safety and Health Indicators, 2007 and 2008
Chart 1: Workplace Fatality Rate, 2004 – 2008
Per 100, 000 employed persons

2008 2007 Number of Per 100.000

Overall workplace injuries 5
469 460 workplace fatalities persons employed
Fatal 2.8 2.9 90 6.0
Permanent disablement 5.6 7.5 80
Temporary disablement 460 450 5.0
70
Accident Frequency Rate6 1.9 1.9
60 4.0
Accident Severity Rate7 112 116
Occupational Disease Incidence8 36.2 27.7 50
3.0
* Rates were computed using Dec 2008 employment numbers. 40
30 2.0
• For occupational diseases (OD)9, 855 new cases were confirmed in 2008, about 42% more than 20
the previous year (Table 1). This was also the highest number of ODs confirmed since 1999, 1.0 No. of
10 Workplace
with the increase consisting mainly of noise-induced deafness (NID) cases. The NID Prevention
Fatalities
Programme10, which was launched in the later part of 2007, has raised the level of industry 0 0.0
awareness and encouraged early detection of the NID cases. This has resulted in focused 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Fatality
efforts at identified workplaces to improve their management of noise exposure and develop 83 71 62 63 67 Rate
more effective hearing conservation programmes. Due to the significant jump in OD cases, 4.9 4.0 3.1 2.9 2.8
there was a corresponding rise in OD incidence from 27.7 cases per 100,000 persons employed
in 2007, to 36.2 in 2008 (Table 2).

Chart 2: Workplace Accident Frequency Rate 11 , 2004 – 2008

No. of workplace incidents

per million man-hours worked
2.3

2.2

2.1

2.0

5
1.9
Workplace Injury Rate = No. of Fatal and Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries x 100, 000
No. of Employed Persons
1.8
6
Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) = No. of Workplace Accidents Reported x 1,000, 000 Accident
No. of Man-hours Worked Frequency
1.7 Rate
7
Accident Severity Rate (ASR) = No. of Man Days Lost To Workplace Accidents x 1,000, 000 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
No. of Man-hours Worked
2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.9
8
Occupational Disease Incidence = No. of Occupational Diseases (i.e. chronic confirmed cases) x 100, 000
No. of Employed Persons

9
An occupational disease is a disease (chronic) contracted as a result of an exposure over a period of time to risk factors
arising from work activity. A confirmed case of occupational disease is one where there is definite evidence that the worker
04
suffers from a disease which is related to his occupation. 11
Prior to 2006, incident data only covered premises registered under the Factories Act. For the purpose of comparison with 05
subsequent years’ data (i.e. 2006 – 2008), incident numbers for years 2004 and 2005 were estimated using a different data
10
Please refer to the WSH Council website at www.wshc.gov.sg for more information on this programme. source (based on workmen’s compensation).
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

FATAL WORKPLACE INJURIES

BY INDUSTRY
Chart 3: Workplace Accident Severity Rate, 2004 – 2008
• Despite having a similar number of fatal incidents as 2007, more lives were lost in the workplace
in 2008. Not only did some of these fatal incidents involve more than one victim, there were
No. of man-days lost to workplace also more of such incidents as compared to the previous year. In 2008, 5 multiple-victim
incidents per million man-hours worked incidents claimed a total of 12 lives as compared to 3 such incidents claiming 7 lives in 2007.
190
The multiple-victim incidents that occurred in 2008 were from:
170 - Construction, involving a tower crane collapse (3 fatalities in the same incident);
- Marine, involving:
150 a) A fire in a confined space (3 fatalities in the same incidents);
b) Oxygen deficiency in confined spaces, leading to suffocation (4 fatalities in 2 incidents);
130 and
c) Water supply, sewage and waste management, where 2 victims were struck by a
110 transport vehicle in the same incident.

90 • Construction continued to report the highest number of workplace fatalities, accounting for
25 out of the 67 fatalities (Table 3). The number had remained similar to the previous year,
70 despite robust building activity and the influx of new entrants into the industry12. In terms of
Accident
Severity fatality rate, the sector saw marked improvement in 2008, posting a rate of 6.9 per 100,000
50 Rate persons employed, down from 8.1 in 2007 (Table 4).
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
164 145 125 116 112 • Likewise, the marine13 sector also experienced a boom in 2008. Owing to the spate of major
incidents which each claimed several lives, the sector reported 13 fatalities, 2 more than the
previous year. Although marine was not the top contributor to workplace fatalities, it had the
highest fatality rate among the 3 traditionally high risk sectors14 (Table 4, also see highlighted
rows in Table 3). The sector also saw a higher fatality rate in 2008 as compared to the year
before.

• For the manufacturing cluster, there was a drop in both fatality numbers and the fatality rate.
The rate fell from 3.7 in 2007 to 2.9 in 2008 (Table 4). The lower number was due to substantially
fewer deaths in the metalworking sub-sector in 2008 (Table 3). This sub-sector had previously
been the major contributor of the fatalities within manufacturing. With a relatively smaller
workforce, sub-sectors like petrochemical and non-metallic mineral products had fatality rates
which exceeded the industry average.

• For the water supply, sewage and waste management sector15, there was a significant increase
to 5 fatalities compared to 1 fatality from a year ago. This relatively small sector saw its fatality
rate jump 4 times from 11.5 deaths per 100,000 employed persons in 2007 to 52.1 in 2008.

12
According to the Ministry of Manpower’s Quarterly Labour Market Report, employment in construction rose by a record
22,400 in Q2 2008, driven by robust building activities.

13
The marine sector includes the following activities :
• Shipbuilding and ship repair
• Marine surveying services (other than classification societies)
• Salvaging of distressed vessels and cargo
Works carried out at the anchorage are also included.

14
06
The traditionally high risk sectors are construction, manufacturing and marine. 07
15
This is one of the 6 new sectors under WSHA.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

• Logistics and transportation16 had 6 workplace deaths in 2008, higher than the 4 deaths in Table 4: Workplace Fatality Rate by Industry, 2007 and 2008
2007. Its fatality rate also increased from 4.7 in 2007 to 6.5 in 2008.

• Other sectors accounted for the remaining fatalities in 2008. These were primarily from Industry 2008 2007
workplaces with relatively lower safety risks. Of the 5 reported fatalities, 2 occurred in the real All sectors 2.8 2.9
estate activities sector while the victims were carrying out work related to estate management Construction 6.9 8.1
and maintenance.
Marine 9.2 8.4
Manufacturing 2.9 3.7
Table 3: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Industry, 2007 and 2008 Metalworking * 2.5 6.7
Petrochemical * 6.9 12.2
Industry 2008 2007 Non-metallic mineral products * 40.8 23.5
All sectors 67 (60) 63 (59) Water supply, sewage and waste
52.1 11.5
management *
Construction 25 (23) 24 (24)
Logistics and transportation * 6.5 4.7
Marine 13 (9) 11 (9)
Services allied to transport of goods * 4.2 0
Manufacturing 13 (13) 16 (14)
Hotels and restaurants 0 0
Metalworking 3 8
Veterinary activities * 0 0
Petrochemical 3 4
Landscape care and maintenance service
Non-metallic mineral products 2 1 0 23.8
activities *
Water supply, sewage and waste Health activities 0 0
5 1
management
Other sectors 0.5 0.5
Logistics and transportation 6 4
Real estate activities 3.1 0
Services allied to transport of goods 1 0
Hotels and restaurants 0 0 * Estimated rates. The employment data excludes self-employed persons.
Veterinary activities 0 0
Landscape care and maintenance service
0 1
activities
Health activities 0 0
Other sectors 5 6
Real estate activities 2 0

Note: Figures in parenthesis refer to the number of fatal incidents.

16
Logistics and transportation covers the following activities :
• Storage and warehousing
• Supporting services to land transport (excludes car management services, services allied to transport of passengers and
towing services)
• Supporting services to water transport (excludes marine surveying services and salvaging of distressed boats and cargo)
08 • Supporting services to air transport 09
• Services allied to transport of goods
• Services allied to transport of goods NEC
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

BY TYPE AND AGENCY OF INCIDENT Table 6 : Number of Workplace Fatalities by Agency of Incident, 2007 and 2008

• In the first half of 2008, struck by falling objects was the top incident type. A spate of incidents
Agency of incident 2008 2007
in the last 3 months of 2008 saw falls from height (FFH) overtaking struck by falling objects in
the top spot (Table 5). However, as compared to the year before, fewer workers (i.e.19 persons) Total 67 63
lost their lives due to fatal falls in 2008, down from 23 in 2007. Roofs were the most common Working environment
location of falls, accounting for 7 out of the 19 FFH fatalities (Table 6). The Work at Height Confined spaces18 7 5
ProBE from 2006 to 2008 has helped the industry to better address issues relating to working
Floors/Level surfaces 5 11
at heights.
Scaffolding and staging 3 4
19
• Struck by falling objects was the second highest incident type, with 14 fatalities in 2008. Most Roofs 7 3
of these (i.e. 8 fatalities) were caused by sudden collapse or failure of structures like walls, or Others (i.e. structure, ladders, stairs/steps) 2 3
sudden collapse of stacked items (such as granite slabs, glass panels and I-beams) during the
Materials and substances
loading/unloading operations. In 4 of the fatalities, the victims were struck by objects falling
directly on their heads. Explosive/Flammable substances20 2 4
Metal items 5 4
• Struck by moving objects saw more than a two-fold jump in workplace fatalities in 2008, with Ceramic items (e.g. part of the wall, 3 1
5 out of the 12 reported fatalities involving workers being hit by prime movers, trailers and a granite slabs)
roll-on bin truck. There were 2 such fatalities (both involving prime movers at their workplaces) Other materials and substances 2 -
in the year before. (e.g. fibreglass tanks, glass sheets)
Lifting equipment
Table 5: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Type of Incident, 2007 and 2008 Cranes 5 4
Lifting appliance/gear 1 5
2008 2007 Other lifting equipment (e.g. boom lift) 2 2
Total 67 63 Industrial machines
Falls from height 19 23 Excavators 2 -
Struck by falling objects 14 12 Other industrial machines (e.g. milling 3 2
machine, band saw, boring machine)
- due to collapse or failure of structure
8 5 Transport equipment (including vehicles)
and equipment
- from heights 6 7 Prime movers/trailers 4 5
Struck by moving objects 12 5 Trucks (includes lorries) 1 4
- by prime movers/trailers/roll-on bin Forklift 3 1
5 2
truck Other transport equipment (e.g. van, car, 5 -
Fires and explosions 5 7 coach)
- occurring in confined spaces 3 3 Electrical equipment (e.g. spotlight and 4 2
other electrical equipment)
Caught in/between objects 4 5
Incident agencies not elsewhere classified 1 3
Oxygen deficiency in confined spaces17 4 2
Electrocution 4 2
Collapse of tower crane 3 0
Slips and trips 2 2
Other incident types (e.g. drowning,
0 5
exposure to heat)

18
This refers to all fatalities arising from accidents in confined spaces. They include cases involving the use of flammable and
17
Confined spaces refer to any chamber, tank, vat, pipe or flue where dangerous fumes are liable to be present and can result hazardous substances.
in fires, explosions or persons being overcome by the fumes or where the supply of air is inadequate, or is likely to be
19
reduced to be inadequate for sustaining life. Works performed in confined spaces present risks uncommon to the regular This includes 1 case in 2007 involving false ceiling.
10 workplace. The presence of hazardous substances in confined spaces can lead to air contamination. High concentration of 11
20
toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide and petroleum solvent vapours can result in chemical poisonings This refers to fatalities involving the use of explosive/flammable substances that do not occur in confined spaces. If those
or oxygen deficiency. that occurred in confined spaces are included, there should be 5 in 2008 and 7 in 2007.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

• Fires, explosions and confined spaces were areas of concern in 2008 with 5 workers having
succumb to severe burn injuries in 3 incidents. One of these was a confined space incident that
claimed 3 lives. There were also 2 other confined space incidents, where 4 workers died from
oxygen deficiency. In total, the hazardous working conditions in enclosed spaces led to a loss
of 7 lives in 2008 (Table 6). All the confined-space fatalities had occurred onboard vessels.
• Another ongoing concern involved the use of cranes. Table 6 shows a total of 5 crane-related
fatalities in 2008, 1 more than the preceding year. These included 3 victims from construction
who were killed in a tower crane collapse incident in 2008, and 2 from manufacturing, who
were struck by falling/swinging objects during the process of being hoisted by cranes.
• There were also more fatalities associated with electrocution, mainly involving the use of
spotlight at worksites (Tables 6 and 7).
Construction
Water supply, sewage and waste management; logistics and transportation
• Incidents involving prime movers, trailers and forklifts were relatively frequent in water supply,
sewage and waste management as well as logistics and transportation, due to their frequent
use of such equipment for moving goods/materials from one location to another. In water
supply, sewage and waste management, 60% of workplace fatalities were due to workers
being struck by moving transport equipment. For the logistics and transportation sector, such
incidents led to one-third of the fatalities. This sector also had some fatalities relating to FFH (1
and 2 fatalities in 2008 and 2007, respectively).
Other sectors
• Out of the 5 fatalities reported in this cluster, 2 involved victims being knocked down by motor
vehicles. The rest of the fatalities did not show any particular trend. In one case, the worker was
struck by an object that fell from the rubbish chute while he was checking its cleanliness.

• Inadequate protection from hazards such as open sides and floor openings at worksites has Table 7: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Industry and Type of Incident, 2008
caused falls from height (FFH) to remain the top killer in the construction sector. The fatality
Water Logistics
numbers, however, has seen a slow decline in recent years from 15 in 2006, to 14 in 2007, to 10 supply, and
in 2008. Struck by falling objects (SBFO) was another area of concern in the sector. Reflecting All Other
Construction Marine Manufacturing sewage trans-
sectors sectors
the risks associated with working beneath cranes and scaffolds, or where overhead work is and waste porta-
being performed, SBFO accounted for nearly half of the total construction fatalities in 2008 (i.e. management tion
6 deaths, 2 more than in 2007). Total 67 (63) 25 (24) 13 (11) 13 (16) 5 (1) 6 (4) 5 (7)
Falls from height 19 (23) 10 (14) 3 (1) 5 (4) 0 (0) 1 (2) 0 (2)
Marine
Struck by falling
14 (12) 6 (4) 0 (3) 3 (3) 1 (0) 2 (1) 2 (1)
objects
• Confined-space incidents contributed to the bulk of fatalities in the marine sector. Of these Struck by moving
3 fatalities were from a fire incident, possibly fuelled by flammable vapours emitted during 12 (5 ) 2 (0) 1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (0) 2 (1) 2 (1)
objects
spray painting work in the tank. The rest of the victims lost their lives in an oxygen-deficient - by transport
environment while carrying out hotworks (2 fatalities) and trying to set up a ventilation system vehicles and prime 8 (2 ) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 3 (0 ) 2 (1) 2 (0)
(2 fatalities) in the tank of a vessel. FFH was also a leading cause of fatalities in 2008, with 3 movers
casualties as compared to 1 in the previous year. 3 - due
to fire in
1 - due to 1- due to fire
Manufacturing Fires and explosion 5 ( 7) 0 (0) confined
explosion (4) (0)
0 (0) 0 (0)
spaces
(3)
• FFH was also the main incident type of workplace fatalities in manufacturing. Since 2006, the
sector has seen an increase of FFH-deaths, from 3 in 2006, 4 in 2007, to 5 in 2008. Collapse of tower
3 (0) 3 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
crane
• SBFO and struck by moving objects led to 5 fatalities in 2008, similar to 2007. Fires, which led Caught in/between
4 (5) 1 (1) 1 (0) 1 (2) 0 (1) 1 (0) 0 (1)
to the loss of 4 lives in 2007, saw a drop to 1 fatality in 2008. objects
Oxygen deficiency
4 (2) 0 (0) 4 (2) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
in confined spaces
Electrocution 4 (2) 2 (2) 1 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0)
Slips and trips 2 (2) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (1)
Other incident
0 (5) 0 (3) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1)
types

Note :
1. In 2008, the landscape care and maintenance services sector did not report any fatalities. On the other hand, 1 FFH
death was reported in 2007.
2. Figures in parenthesis pertain to 2007.

12 13
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

PERMANENT DISABLEMENTS

• Permanent disablements refer to non-fatal injuries which are more severe in nature, involving Table 9: Number of Permanent Disablements by Industry, 2007 and 2008
the complete loss, or loss of use of any member/part of a member of the injured victim’s body
(e.g. the amputation of an arm, a finger or the bone of a finger). Industry 2008 2007
All sectors 132 163
• In 2008, there were 132 persons sustaining permanent injuries due to incidents at work. An
Construction 35 35
average of 5.6 workers out of every 100,000 persons employed was permanently injured. Such
incidents also resulted in a loss of about 29,950 man-days. Marine 18 18
Manufacturing 50 72
• In 93% of the permanent disablements, it involved the complete loss or loss of the use of Metalworking 21 30
hands (including fingers) (Table 8). Only 7% were localised to the lower limb, mainly toes. Manufacture of food products 10 11
Manufacture of furniture 6 7
Table 8: Number of Permanent Disablements by Body Part Injured, 2007 and 2008 Water supply, sewage and waste
2 3
management
Logistics and transportation 5 7
Body part injured 2008 2007
Services allied to transport of goods - 1
Total 132 163
Hotels and restaurants 3 2
Upper limb 123 154
Veterinary activities - -
Hands (including fingers) 123 150
Landscape care and maintenance service
Shoulder/Arm - 4 - 1
activities
Lower limb 9 9
Health activities - -
Foot (including toes) 8 6
Other sectors 19 25
Leg (including ankle) 1 3
Wholesale and retail trade 5 3

By Industry Table 10: Permanent Disablement Rates by Industry, 2007 and 2008
Per 100,000 employed persons
• Manufacturing continued to be the largest contributor to permanent disablements, accounting Industry 2008 2007
for almost 4 in 10 (38%) of such injuries in 2008 (Table 9). This was followed by construction
which contributed a quarter of the permanent injuries (27%). Within the manufacturing cluster, All sectors 5.6 7.5
sub-sectors with the most number of permanent disablements were: Construction 9.7 11.8
- Metalworking; Marine 12.8 13.7
- Manufacture of food products; and Manufacturing 11.2 16.5
- Manufacture of furniture.
Metalworking * 11.4 25.2
These industries typically have high usage of machines that are potentially dangerous for workers’ Manufacture of food products * 33.3 37.8
limbs. This include metalworking machines with moving parts like power presses, mechanical shears, Manufacture of furniture * 56.1 69.3
circular saws, transmission machines, cranes as well as hand tools. The manufacture of furniture Water supply, sewage and waste
sector, which has a relatively smaller workforce, recorded the highest permanent disablement rate 20.8 34.5
management *
among all sectors, at 56.1 per 100,000 persons employed (Table 10).
Logistics and transportation* 5.4 8.2
Services allied to transport of goods * - 4.4
Hotels and restaurants 1.7 1.2
Veterinary activities * - -
Landscape care and maintenance service
- 23.8
activities *
Health activities - -
Other sectors
Wholesale and retail trade 1.2 0.8

14 * Estimated rates. The employment data excludes self-employed persons. 15

workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

BY TYPE AND AGENCY OF InCIDENT
• Majority of the permanent disablements involved hands or fingers getting caught in or
between objects. In 2008, such accidents accounted for around three-fifths of the permanent
disablements (Table 11). A further breakdown of the permanent disablement data by incident
type and industry is shown in Table 12.
• The top few incident agencies for 2008 and 2007 were broadly similar, accounting for more
than four-fifths (88%) of total permanent disablements in 2008 (Table 13). Industrial machines
alone made up around half (46%) of total permanent disablements, followed by metal items
and lifting equipment. For permanent disablements involving lifting equipment, the majority
of the victims sustained limb injuries during lifting operations, either due to a falling load or
their hands/fingers being caught between objects.

Table 11: Number of Permanent Disablements by Type of Incident, 2007 and 2008 Table 13: Key Incident Agencies Leading To Permanent Disablements, 2007 and 2008

Type of incident 2008 2007 Agency of incident 2008 2007

Total 132 163 Key incident agencies 119 142
Caught in or between objects 78 83 Industrial machines 61 68
Struck by falling objects 22 17 Metal items 29 23
Cut/Stabbed by objects 16 20 Lifting equipment 13 16
Struck by moving objects 7 33 Transport equipment (including vehicles) 8 13
Other types of accidents 9 10 Hand tools (electrical and non-electrical) 4 16
Working environment (e.g. floor, stairs, ramp) 4 6

Table 12: Number of Permanent Disablements by Industry and Type of Incident,

2007 (in parenthesis) and 2008

Caught in/ Struck by Cut/ Struck by Other

Industry between falling stabbed by moving incident
objects objects objects objects types
Total 78 (83) 22 (17) 16 (20) 7 (33) 9 (10)
Construction 15 (17) 9 (3) 5 (3) 2 (10) 4 (2)
Marine 12 (8) 4 (5) 0 (1) 2 (3) 0 (1)
Manufacturing 33 (37) 4 (6) 8 (12) 2 (11) 3 (6)
Water supply, sewage and
1 (2) 1 (0) 0 (1) - -
waste management
Logistics and transportation 5 (5) 0 (1) - 0 (1) -
Hotels and restaurants 2 (1) - 1 (1) - -
Landscape care and
maintenance service 0 (1) - - - -
activities
Health activities - - - - -
Other sectors 10 (12) 4 (2) 2 (2) 1 (8) 2 (1)
Wholesale and retail trade 4 (1) - 1 (0) 0 (2) -

16 17
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

TEMPORARY DISABLEMENTS

• Temporary disablements (TD) went up by 11% in 2008 (Table 14), along with a 8.1% growth in By Industry
the overall workforce. The 3 traditionally high-risk sectors made up a combined 56% of the total
temporary work injuries, with construction and marine seeing a 17% and 15% increase over Table 14: Number of Temporary Disablements by Industry, 2007 and 2008
the previous year. This coincided with the rise in work activities in the two sectors. Conversely,
manufacturing which clocked comparatively lesser work activity in 2008, saw a 2% decline in
temporary disablements, similar to the drop in fatalities in the sector21. Among the 3 sectors, Industry 2008 2007
marine was the only one which saw an increase in TD rate (from 353 temporary injuries per All sectors 10,873 9,792
100,000 persons employed in 2007 to 377 in 2008) (Table 15). Construction 2,804 2,401
Marine 531 463
- A few other sectors22 also accounted for significant shares of temporary work injuries,
including: Manufacturing 2,754 2,809
a) Hotels and restaurants (730 injuries) Metalworking 1,256 1,296
b) Logistics and transportation (600 injuries) Manufacture of food, beverages and 322 345
c) Wholesale and retail trade (452 injuries) tobacco products
Manufacture of paper products and 190 175
However, when the workforce size was taken into consideration, logistics and transportation printing
emerged with a rate of temporary disablements that was way above the national average
(Table 15). Manufacture of electronic products 183 217
Manufacture of non-metallic mineral 164 153
• For the water supply, sewage and waste management sector, though the overall number was products
small (73), its TD rate at 760 was high. Manufacture of furniture 125 99
Manufacture of rubber and plastic 120 137
products
Manufacture of petrochemical products 100 96
Water supply, sewage and waste 73 41
management
Logistics and transportation 600 490
Services allied to transport of goods 65 48
Hotels and restaurants 730 693
Veterinary activities S S
Landscape care and maintenance service S S
activities
Health activities 197 161
Other sectors 3,180 2,724
Wholesale and retail trade 452 422
Real estate activities 128 140
Administrative and support service 124 166
activities
Architectural and engineering activities 120 86
Education 104 75

S: Suppressed because the injury numbers are too small (i.e. than 10) for meaningful analysis.

21
According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the manufacturing sector contracted 11% in the third quarter of 2008, after
the previous quarter’s 5.2% contraction. The contraction was largely due to the biomedical manufacturing cluster, which
shrank by 37 per cent. The electronics cluster also shrank by 6.3 per cent, with the relocation of mobile device production
in the info-communications an consumer electronics segment. The precision engineering cluster also contracted by 6.4 per
18
cent, due to a sharp global slowdown in demand for industrial machinery and electronics-related precision components. 19
22
These three sectors are part of the six sectors that were covered under the WSH Act as of 1 March 2008.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

Table 15: Temporary Disablement Rates by Industry, 2007 and 2008 BY TYPE AND AGENCY OF INCIDENT
Per 100,000 employed persons
• Table 16 shows the key incident types23 leading to temporary disablements. Similar to the
Industry 2008 2007 previous year, the following 3 incident types accounted for around 43% of total temporary
All sectors 460 450 work injuries in 2008 :
Construction 779 811 - Struck by falling objects (SBFO);
- Caught in or between objects (CIBO); and
Marine 377 353
- Falls from height (FFH).
Manufacturing 618 645
Metalworking 1,041 1,088 • Certain incident types appeared to be more prevalent in specific industry sectors, reflecting
Manufacture of food, beverages and the nature of work activities as well as the hazards present at the workplace (Table 17). For
931 1,036 instance, struck by falling objects and falls from height were more prevalent in the construction
tobacco products
Manufacture of paper products and sector as workers were often required to work at height, or work where overhead work was
686 651 performed. These two incident types were also responsible for most of the fatalities in the
printing
construction sector.
Manufacture of electronic products 177 196
Manufacture of non-metallic mineral • For the hotels and restaurants sector, temporary work injuries arising from the following types
3,347 3,558
products * of incidents were relatively common :
Manufacture of furniture * 1,168 980 - Cut or stabbed by objects;
Manufacture of rubber and plastic - Slips and trips; and
719 753 - Contact with hot substances or objects.
products
Manufacture of petrochemical products 231 292
This is primarily because employees in this sector were exposed to working conditions such
Water supply, sewage and waste as wet kitchen floors due to a lack of proper housekeeping. There was also a high frequency of
760 471
management * contact with sharps, hot liquids or utensils during food preparation.
Logistics and transportation * 653 573
Services allied to transport of goods * 274 213 • Slips, trips and falls were also rather prevalent in the health activities sector, especially in
slippery areas such as the toilet and shower areas, or where the aisles and passageways were
Hotels and restaurants 408 428
not free from obstruction.
Veterinary activities * S S
Landscape care and maintenance service
S S
activities *
Table 16: Key Incident Types Leading To Temporary Disablements, 2007 and 2008
Health activities 347 313
Other sectors
Wholesale and retail trade 113 110 Type of incident 2008 2007
Real estate activities 201 243 Key incident types 9,952 (91.5) 7,914 (80.8)
Architectural and engineering activities 255 213 Struck by falling objects 1,603 (14.7) 1,265 (12.9)
Administrative and support service Caught in or between objects 1,560 (14.3) 1,381 (14.1)
92 134
activities Falls from height 1,482 (13.6) 1,279 (13.1)
Education 159 123 Slips and trips 1,294 (11.9) 1,093 (11.2)
Cut/Stabbed by objects 1,202 (11.1) 894 (9.1)
* Estimated rates. The employment data excludes self-employed persons. Struck by moving objects (excludes
S : Suppressed because the injury numbers are too small (i.e. than 10) for meaningful analysis. 1112 (10.2) 615 (6.3)
falling objects)
Strike against objects 1043 (9.6) 777 (7.9)
Over-exertion/strenuous movement 656 (6.0) 610 (6.2)

* Figures in parenthesis refers to the % of total number of TD.

20 21
23
Incident type refers to the type of event which resulted in the injury of a victim. Where the event involves a chain of
incidents, the incident type should be the one that triggered the chain of other incidents.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

Table 17: Top Three Incident Types For Temporary Disablements By Industry, 2008 • The key incident types are closely linked to the leading incident agencies25. Since slips, trips
and falls were relatively common (Table 18), it is therefore, not surprising for the following
agencies to be among those listed:
Industry Top three types of incident - Floors/Level surfaces;
1 st
2nd 3rd - Ladders/Mobile ramps;
All sectors SBFO CIBO FFH - Stairs/Steps; and
- Scaffolding/Staging.
Construction SBFO FFH CIBO

Marine CIBO SBFO SBMO Together, they accounted for close to a quarter (24%) of total temporary injuries reported. The
Manufacturing CIBO SBFO CSBO lack of proper housekeeping and also inadequate protection for work at heights have made
Metalworking CIBO SBFO SBMO site conditions more hazardous, thus increasing one’s likelihood of getting injured at work.
Manufacture of food, beverages and
CSBO S&T CIBO • Similarly, improper handling of metal items, industrial machines and hand tools has made
tobacco products
them common agencies of incidents. Unsafe work practices and the absence of machine
Manufacture of paper products and guarding were among the factors which made one more prone to hazards at the workplaces.
CIBO CSBO SAO
printing
Manufacture of electronic products CIBO S&T SBFO
Manufacture of non-metallic mineral Table 18: Key Incident Agencies Leading To Temporary Disablements, 2007 and 2008
SBFO SAO CIBO
products
Manufacture of furniture CSBO SBMO CIBO
Agency of incident 2008 2007
Manufacture of rubber and plastic
CIBO SBFO SBMO Key incident agencies 7,458 (68.6) 6,519 (66.6)
products
Manufacture of petrochemical products CIBO FFH ETHS Floors or level surfaces 1,703 (15.7) 1,423 (14.5)
Water supply, sewage and waste Metal items 1,274 (11.7) 1,171 (12.0)
FFH CIBO SBFO Industrial machines 1,236 (11.4) 1,137 (11.6)
management
Logistics and transportation SBFO FFH SBMO Hand tools (both electrical and
1,075(9.9) 890 (9.1)
Services allied to transport of goods FFH SBMO SAO non-electrical)
Hotels and restaurants CSBO S&T CWHS Transport equipment or vehicles 601 (5.5) 541 (5.5)
Veterinary activities S S S Lifting equipment 465 (4.3%) 359 (3.7)
Landscape care and maintenance service Ladders, mobile ramps 323 (3.0%) 308 (3.1)
S S S Stairs and steps 306 (2.8%) 259 (2.6)
activities
Physical Wooden items 252 (2.3%) 200 (2.0)
Health activities S&T FFH assault by Scaffolding and staging 223 (2.1%) 231 (2.4)
patients
Other sectors * Figures in parenthesis refers to the % of total number of TD.

Wholesale and retail trade FFH SBFO CSBO

Real estate activities S&T CSBO FFH
Architectural and engineering activities SBFO CIBO SBMO
Administrative and support service
CSBO S&T SAO
activities

Legend:
CIBO : Caught in/between objects FFH : Falls from height
SBFO : Struck by falling objects SBMO : Struck by moving objects24
SAO : Strike against objects ST : Slips and trips
CWHS : Contact with hot substances CSBO : Cut or stabbed by objects
OESM : Over-exertion and strenuous movements ETHS : Exposure to harmful substances

22 23
25
Incident Agency refers to the object or physical environment, which due to its hazardous nature/condition, leads to the
24
This includes flying fragments but excludes falling objects. occurrence of a particular type of incident. It is related to the incident, not injury.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

• In 2008, there were 855 confirmed cases of occupational diseases (OD), some 42% more than Table 19: Number of Confirmed Occupational Diseases by Industry, 2007 and 2008
the year before (Table 19). The overall OD incidence stood at 36.2 cases per 100,000 persons
employed, up from 27.7 cases posted in 2007 (Table 20). This increase was largely due to more
noise-induced deafness (NID) cases reported. The NID Prevention Programme has raised Industry 2008 2007
general awareness about the disease and hence led to increased reporting of such cases. As All sectors 855 602
99.7% of the cases were detected in the early stages of NID, efforts taken to improve noise Construction 56 45
management at these workplaces will help to prevent further deterioration of the conditions of
Marine 75 33
the affected workers. These workplaces were mainly in the supporting services to air transport
and manufacture of transport equipment. Manufacturing 565 359
Metalworking 244 179
BY INDUSTRY Manufacture of transport equipment 198 63
Manufacture of petrochemical products 29 5
• Manufacturing continued to be the largest contributor for OD cases, accounting for two-thirds
of (66%) of total cases confirmed (Table 19). Within this cluster, close to four-fifths (78%) of the Manufacture of rubber and plastic products 21 7
ODs confirmed, specifically the NID, were from the metalworking and manufacture of transport Manufacture of food, beverages and tobacco products 19 26
equipment26 sub-sectors. While the former saw a 36% increase in the cases confirmed, the latter Manufacture of electronic products 18 28
recorded more than a three-fold jump in 2008 as compared to the previous year. After the Manufacture of paper products and printing 15 11
workforce size was taken into consideration, manufacture of transport equipment posted the
Water supply, sewage and waste management 7 16
highest OD incidence among all sectors (at 908 cases for every 100,000 persons employed).
This is 25 times higher than the national OD incidence (Table 20). Logistics and transportation 64 79
Services allied to transport of goods - 9
Hotels and restaurants 10 6
Veterinary activities - -
Landscape care and maintenance service activities - -
Health activities 7 8
Other sectors 71 56
Repair and maintenance of motor vehicles 26 21
Architectural and engineering activities 13 3

24 25
26
This excludes all shipbuilding and ship repair activities.
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

Table 20: Occupational Disease Incidence by Industry, 2007 and 2008 BY TYPE OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE
Per 100,000 employed persons
Noise-induced Deafness (NID)
Industry 2008 2007
All sectors 36.2 27.7 • NID made up close to 9 out of 10 OD cases (87%) confirmed in 2008, marking a larger share
Construction 15.6 15.2 than the 81% in 2007. Table 21 shows that 741 out of 743 NID cases were diagnosed in the
early stage of the disease while only 2 workers suffered from severe hearing loss. Apart from
Marine 53.2 25.2
metalworking and manufacture of transport equipment which made up the majority of the
Manufacturing 126.9 82.4 NID cases, other sectors with notable number of NID cases included (Table 22) :
Metalworking 202.3 150.3 - Logistics and transportation ( 61 cases)
Manufacture of transport equipment 908.3 293.0 - Repair and maintenance of vehicles (26 cases)
Manufacture of petrochemical products 67.1 15.2
Manufacture of rubber and plastic Table 21: Number of Occupational Diseases by Type, 2007 and 2008
125.7 38.5
products
Manufacture of food, beverages and
54.9 78.1 Type of occupational diseases 2008 2007
tobacco products
Total 855 602
Manufacture of paper products and
54.2 40.9 Noise-induced deafness (NID) 743 490
printing
Manufacture of electronic products 17.4 25.3 - Early stage 741 485
Water supply, sewage and waste - Advanced stage 2 5
72.9 183.9
management * Occupational skin diseases 66 59
Logistics and transportation * 69.6 92.4 Excessive absorption of chemicals 11 3
Services allied to transport of goods * - 40.0 Chemical poisoning 8 -
Hotels and restaurants 5.6 3.7 Compressed air illness 7 2
Veterinary activities * - - Barotrauma 5 17
Landscape care and maintenance service Occupational lung diseases 5 3
- -
activities * Work-related musculoskeletal disorders 5 25
Health activities 12.3 15.6 Mesothelioma 4 -
Other sectors Others 1 3
Repair and maintenance of motor vehicles Not available Not available
Architectural and engineering activities 27.6 7.4

* Estimated rates. The employment data excludes self-employed persons.

26 27
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

Table 22: Number of Confirmed NIDs in Selected Industries, 2007 and 2008 Occupational Skin Diseases

• In 2008, there were 66 cases of occupational skin diseases (OSD) confirmed, up from 59 cases in
Industry 2008 2007 the previous year (Table 23). Ranked in the distant second position from NID, OSD accounted
All sectors 743 490 for 7.7% of total ODs. Manufacturing, which was the largest contributor of OSD cases, saw
Construction 33 17 around the same number of cases confirmed as compared to 2007. Among the sub-sectors,
Marine 70 30 fewer cases came from metalworking, 4 in 2008 as compared to 11 in the preceding year. Other
sectors which were more prone to OSD were :
Manufacturing 528 314 - Construction (10 cases)
Metalworking 235 167 - Hotels and restaurants (9 cases)
Manufacture of transport equipment 194 60
Manufacture of petrochemical products 25 4 Table 23: Number of Confirmed OSD by Industry, 2007 and 2008
Manufacture of rubber and plastic
21 6
products
Industry 2008 2007
Manufacture of food, beverages and
15 23 All sectors 66 59
tobacco products
Manufacture of paper products and Construction 10 11
13 10
printing Marine 3 1
Manufacture of electronic products 11 25 Manufacturing 22 21
Water supply, sewage and waste Metalworking 4 11
7 16
management Manufacture of electronic products 4 3
Logistics 61 78 Manufacture of food, beverages and
3 3
Services allied to transport of goods - 9 tobacco products
Hotels and restaurants - - Manufacture of transport equipment 3 1
Veterinary activities - - Manufacture of paper products and
2 -
Landscape care and maintenance service printing
- -
activities Manufacture of non-metallic mineral
2 1
Health activities - - products
Other sectors 44 35 Water supply, sewage and waste
- -
management
Repair and maintenance of motor
26 21 Logistics and transportation - 1
vehicles
Architectural and engineering activities 6 3 Services allied to transport of goods - -
Hotels and restaurants 9 4
Veterinary activities - -
Landscape care and maintenance service
- -
activities
Health activities 7 4
Other sectors 15 17
Wholesale and retail trade 5 1
Real estate activities 2 1

28 29
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

CONCLUDING REMARKS

• As seen from Table 24, the most common agents resulting in OSD were : • The increase in fatal and non-fatal injuries in 2008 came alongside increase in work activities
- Wet work and detergents (19 cases) and increased manpower. There is also greater awareness generated by the national focus
- Oils (8 cases) on safety and health in the last three years. This has contributed to enhanced awareness on
reporting requirements. Nonetheless, the increase also signalled a clear need for the industry
The bulk of the OSD cases involving wet work and detergents were from hotels and restaurants to put in a more concerted effort to lower the absolute number of injuries by ensuring that
(8 cases) where employees are more frequently in touch with such agents in the course of their hazards are either eliminated or controlled better.
work.
• The construction and marine sectors remain the key areas of focus and there were several
high-profile incidents in 2008. The two sectors accounted for more than half of the workplace
Table 24: Top 10 Causative Agents of Occupational Skin Diseases, 2008 fatalities. While incidents involving cranes and work at heights continue to be areas of concern,
new areas have also emerged. These include work in confined spaces and incidents involving
victims struck by transport equipment (including prime movers and trailers) while in the
Causative agents No. of cases course of performing a work task. It is clear that greater efforts must be put in to address the
Top causative agents 50 issues in both the ongoing areas of concern (work at height, cranes) and new areas of concern
Wet work and detergents 19 (confined space, transport equipment). The WSH Council will be working closely with both the
Oils 8 Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and industry partners on this.
Rubber 4 • The jump in NID numbers can be viewed positively. The increased awareness created by the NID
Cement 4 Prevention Programme has led to an increase in reporting, thus providing a better reflection of
Dust 4 the actual situation on the ground and allowing MOM to take intervention action. As most of
Heat 4 the cases were in the early stages of the disease, measures could be taken to prevent further
deterioration of the hearing condition of workers.
Isopropyl ether 3
Solvent 2
Chromium 2

Other Occupational Diseases

• There were 11 cases of excessive absorption of chemicals and 8 cases of chemical poisoning in
2008 as compared to 2007, when there were only 3 cases of excessive absorption. The majority
(73%) of the excessive absorption cases were due to solvents. In addition, 75% of the poisoning
cases were due to a single incident involving chemical cleaning using solvents in the confined
space of a ship. There were 7 cases of compressed air illness confirmed arising from tunnelling
works associated with the construction of the Circle Line MRT project. There were also 4 cases
of mesothelioma from past exposure to asbestos.

30 31
workplace safety and health 2008 National Statistics

ANNEXES

Annex 1 Table 1-2: Number of Man-days Lost To Workplace Incidents29 in Selected Sectors,
2007 and 2008
Table 1-1: Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) and Accident Severity Rate (ASR) in Selected Sectors,
2007 and 2008 Industry 2008 2007
Per million man-hours worked All sectors 642,545 617,095
Industry AFR ASR Construction 216,030 206,416
2008 2007 2008 2007 Marine 93,027 78,657
All sectors 1.9 1.9 112 116 Manufacturing (excluding marine) 140,515 166,377
Construction 2.9 3.0 221 257 Petrochemical 22,829 25,189
Marine27 1.4 1.3 236 212 Metalworking 42,970 84,860
Manufacturing (excluding marine) 2.5 2.6 127 148 Food, beverages and tobacco 12,649 7,947
Petrochemical 1.0 1.3 225 323 Wood products 7,098 1,145
Metalworking 4.0 4.1 135 262 Rubber and plastic products 9,892 9,051
Food, beverages and tobacco 4.0 4.3 152 97 Non-metallic mineral products 16,222 9,689
Wood products 5.1 4.6 863 149 Medical and precision equipment 6,577 619
Rubber and plastic products 2.9 2.9 234 191 Water supply, sewage and waste
31,746 10,171
management
Non-metallic mineral products 12.7 13.6 1208 837
Logistics and transportation 48,756 32,944
Medical and precision equipment 0.6 0.8 163 16
Services allied to transport of goods 7,350 929
Water supply, sewage and waste
3.5 2.2 1395 497 Hotels and restaurants 10,259 10,200
management
Logistics and transportation28 2.8 2.4 221 160 Hotels 4,351 3,429
Services allied to transport of goods 1.1 0.9 123 18 Real estate activities 14,071 2,371
Hotels and restaurants 1.9 2.1 26 30 Veterinary activities 5 37
Hotels 5.0 3.6 69 54 Landscape care and maintenance service
72 6,144
activities
Real estate activities 0.9 1.1 96 18
Health activities 3,145 2,748
Veterinary activities S S S S
Landscape care and maintenance service
0.2 1.0 4 566
activities
Health activities 1.6 1.4 25 24

* Rates are computed using Dec 2008 employment numbers and Q4 2008 ‘weekly hours worked’ data.

27
The Marine sector covers the following activities :
• Shipbuilding and ship repair
• Marine surveying services (other than classification societies)
• Salvaging of distressed vessels and cargo
Also includes work done at the anchorage.

28
The Logistics and transportation sector covers the following activities :
• Storage and warehousing
• Supporting services to land transport (excludes car management services, services allied to transport of
passengers and towing services)
• Supporting services to water transport (excludes marine surveying services and salvaging of distressed
boats and cargo)
32 • Supporting services to air transport 33
29
• Services allied to transport of goods According to the U.S National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s table of scheduled charges, a fatality is
• Services allied to transport of goods NEC equivalent to the loss of 6000 man days. The Ministry of Manpower adopts a similar coding schedule.
workplace safety and health 2008
Annex 2
SOURCE OF DATA
Data on workplace injuries and occupational diseases were collected from incident reports made
by employers, occupiers and medical practitioners in the fulfilment of their obligations under the
Workplace Safety and Health (Incident Reporting) Regulations.
Employment data used for the computation of workplace fatality and injury rates are from the
administrative records maintained by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board and Work Pass Division,
Ministry of the Manpower.
Average weekly hours worked data used for the estimation of man-hours worked are from the
Quarterly Labour Market Survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower.
DATA COVERAGE
The types of workplace injuries and occupational diseases covered in the reported statistics include
the following:
• Workplace injuries sustained by employees and resulting in more than 3 consecutive days of
medical leave;
• Workplace injuries sustained by employees and resulting in at least 24 hours of
hospitalisation;
• Workplace incidents resulting in the death of employees, self-employed persons and
persons not at work;
• Workplace incidents resulting in the injury of self-employed persons and persons not at work
who have to be taken to the hospital for treatment; and
• Occupational diseases listed in the Third Schedule of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
Incident type refers to the type of event which resulted in the injury of a victim. Where the event
involves a chain of incidents, the incident type should be the one that triggered the chain of other
incidents.
Incident agency refers to the object or physical environment, which due to its hazardous nature/
condition, leads to the occurrence of a particular type of incident. It is related to the incident, not
injury.
34
National Statistics
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Charts
Chart 1: Workplace Fatality Rate, 2004 – 2008 05
Chart 2: Workplace Accident Frequency Rate, 2004 – 2008 05
Chart 3: Workplace Accident Severity Rate, 2004 – 2008 06
TABLES
Table 1: Number of Workplace Injuries and Occupational Diseases, 2007 and 2008 03
Table 2: Key Workplace Safety and Health Indicators, 2007 and 2008 04
Table 3: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Industry, 2007 and 2008 08
Table 4: Workplace Fatality Rate by Industry, 2007 and 2008 09
Table 5: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Type of Incident, 2007 and 2008 10
Table 6: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Agency of Incident, 2007 and 2008 11
Table 7: Number of Workplace Fatalities by Industry and Type of Incident, 2008 13
Table 8: Number of Permanent Disablements by Body Part Injured, 2007 and 2008 14
Table 9: Number of Permanent Disablements by Industry, 2007 and 2008 15
Table 10: Permanent Disablement Rates by Industry, 2007 and 2008 15
Table 11: Number of Permanent Disablements by Type of Incident, 2007 and 2008 16
Table 12: Number of Permanent Disablements by Industry and Type of Incident, 16
2007 and 2008
Table 13: Key Incident Agencies Leading to Permanent Disablements, 2007 and 2008 17
Table 14: Number of Temporary Disablements by Industry, 2007 and 2008 19
Table 15: Temporary Disablement Rates by Industry, 2007 and 2008 20
Table 16: Key Incident Types Leading to Temporary Disablements, 21
2007 and 2008
Table 17: Top Three Incident Types for Temporary Disablements by Industry, 2008 22
Table 18: Key Incident Agencies Leading to Temporary Disablements, 2007 and 2008 23
Table 19: Number of Confirmed Occupational Diseases by Industry, 2007 and 2008 25
Table 20: Occupational Disease Incidence by Industry, 2007 and 2008 26
Table 21: Number of Occupational Diseases by Type, 2007 and 2008 27
Table 22: Number of Confirmed NIDs in Selected Industries, 2007 and 2008 28
Table 23: Number of Confirmed OSD by Industry, 2007 and 2008 29
Table 24: Top 10 Causative Agents of Occupational Skin Diseases, 2008 30
Annex I Table 1-1:
Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) and Accident Severity Rate (ASR)
in Selected Sectors, 2007 and 2008 32
Annex I Table 1-2:
Number of Man-days Lost to Workplace Incidents in Selected
Sectors, 2007 and 2008 33
35
workplace safety and health 2008

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Ministry of Manpower.

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36
published by
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