building wsh competency report_v7
TRANSCRIPT
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2018
competencies in Singapore
WSHbuilding
WSH
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INTRODUCTION 01
In 2007, the Workplace Saety and Health
(WSH) Advisory Committee and the Ministry o
Manpower (MOM) released the WSH 2015 Strategy
to guide stakeholder eorts in improving WSH
standards and outcomes or Singapore. A key
prong in WSH 2015 is the building o strong
capabilities to better manage workplace saety
and health.
In April 2008, PM Lee Hsien Loong set a new
target or WSH, challenging stakeholders to bring
the number o workplace atalities to below 1.8
per 100,000 workers by 2018. In order to achieve
this outcome, capability building is even more
imperative. We must equip employers, employees
and WSH proessionals with the right skills and
capabilities to manage WSH and take responsibility
or WSH outcomes. Supporting institutions
such as proessional associations, industry bodies
and training institutions must also be in place
in order to identiy the skills required, and guide the
development o such capabilities.
CONTENTINTRODUCTION
THE WSH TRAINING LANDSCAPE
TARGETED OUTCOMES
STRATEGIES
CONCLUSION
1
2
8
11
19
building WSH competencies in Singapore
Our original aim had been to halve the workplace atality rate to 2.5 by 2015. This looks well within
reachwe should set a more ambitious goal, to reduce the rate to 1.8 within a decade. We should aim
not only or as good a saety record as the developed countries, but to have one o the best workplace
saety records in the world. I am condent that we can achieve this, because i we analyse the accidentswhich are taking place, we can nd many creative and innovative ways to tighten up saety standards
and practices, to put right what we are still not doing properly, and to get our employers and workers
trained and imbued with saety consciousness.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
at the Launch of the Workplace Safety and Health Council, 29 April 2008
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03
WSH 2018
Industry is a diverse group that includes
business and employer associations such
as the Singapore National Employers
Federation, Singapore Business Federation
and Association o Small and Medium
Enterprises, trade associations such as
The Singapore Contractors Association
Limited and Association o Singapore
Marine Industries, and broader industry-
led bodies such as the WSH Council. Given
its intimate knowledge and experience
o the environment and processes at the
workplace, industry is best placed to chart
out the relevant WSH skills and capabilities
required by workers in order to meet the
demands o the job. Industry stakeholders
also play a critical role in providing an
environment which emphasises and rewards
WSH excellence.
Unions represent the interests o workers,
and they are well-placed to proactively
promote WSH awareness and WSH training.
Together with industry, unions play a critical
role in jointly creating an environment that
emphasises and rewards WSH excellence.
Employers, in particular the senior
management, play an inuential role in
raising WSH capabilities within the company.
They are accountable or the WSH outcomes
o their organisations, in the same way that
they are accountable or other business
THEWSH
THEWSH
TRAININGLANDSCAPE
TRAININGLANDSCAPETHE WSH ECOSYSTEM
Prior to the establishment o the new WSH
ramework in Singapore, WSH was largely seen
as the sole responsibility o the Government,
given its oversight on diverse issues such as
standards setting, training delivery, outreach and
promotion, and enorcement. Today, the
Government remains an important stakeholder
within the WSH ecosystem, given its role in
overseeing the general direction o WSH through
its policymaking, as well as its regulatory and
enorcement role. However, it is recognised that
to improve WSH standards and outcomes, we
must involve and engage other stakeholders in
the WSH ecosystem as well:
Government
Industry / Business and
Industry Associations
Unions
WorkersEmployers
WSH Proessionals
and Specialists
Proessional
Educational Institutions
and Service Providers
A sae and healthy
workplace or everyone; and
a country renowned or best
practices in WSH
building WSH competencies in Singapore
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WSH Training or the Workorce
In 2008, the total size o the Singapore workorce was
about 2.9 million, o which 1.9 million were residents
and 1 million were non-residents.
*Source : Ministry o Manpower:Labour Market 2008
Approximately one-third o the workorce has
received some orm o WSH training. Most o themare workers and supervisors in riskier sectors such
as construction, shipbuilding and ship-repair, oil
and petrochemicals and metalworking, where WSH
training is mandated by law. The ocus o the training
through courses such as the Construction Saety
Orientation Course or the Forklit Drivers Training
Course is to educate the workers and supervisors
on the risks inherent in their work and how they can
manage these risks to work saely. WSH proessionals
and specialists are another key group o recipients o
WSH training.
THE WSH TRAINING LANDSCAPE
WSH 2018
outcomes. Management sets the overall
goals and standards or WSH and decides the
directions and strategies needed to achieve
those goals. It is thereore critical that this
group o WSH stakeholders is equipped with
the appropriate skills to lead WSH eorts in
their organisations.
Workers orm the group that oten suers themost when saety and health lapses occur
at the workplace. Failure to observe WSH
procedures at this level can also result in
adverse consequences. It is thereore critical
that this group is provided with adequate
training to understand the importance o
WSH and how to work saely.
WSH proessionals and specialists are another
important group o stakeholders, providing
assistance to employers in monitoring
and improving saety management at the
workplace. They can drive capability building
eorts, by identiying WSH gaps within the
organisation. WSH proessionals include WSH
auditors, ocers and coordinators, while
WSH specialists include diverse occupations
ranging rom industrial hygienists to noise
control ocers.
Proessional and educational institutions and
service providers play a supporting role withinthe WSH ecosystem. Proessional institutions
help set proessional standards and raise
the proessionalism o WSH practices by
providing continuing education and training
to their members. Training providers and
consultancies provide training and expert
advice to raise saety standards. The tertiary
educational institutions also provide WSH
training at the pre-employment stage and
through continuing education and also
conduct research into WSH issues.
1 These are doctors who have undergone training in occupational health and are registered with the Ministry o Manpower.2 Medical specialists registered with the Singapore Medical Council.
WSH Proessionals and Personnel Supporting the Industry05
THE WSH TRAINING LANDSCAPE
Proessional and Competent PersonsEstimated
NumberAs o Year
Competent persons or management o hazardous substances 1511 2008
Competent persons or sampling and monitoring o airborne contaminants 390 2008
Designated actory doctors1 672 2008
Noise control ocers 348 2008
Noise monitoring ocers 994 2008
Occupational health nurses 205 2007
Occupational hygienists 20 2008
Occupational physicians2 32 2007
Occupational physiotherapists 500 2007
Occupational therapists 320 2007
Workplace saety and health auditors 161 2008
Workplace saety and health coordinators 2038 2008
Workplace saety and health ocers 1580 2008
Note:
The table above is not exhaustive as it does not include
supervisors who perform safety and health functions .
ConstructionWholesale&
RetailTrade
Transpor
t&S
torage
Manufac
turing
Finan
cialS
ervice
s
Community,Social&
PersonalServices
Inormation &Communications
Others 1%
20%
5%
3%
19%
12%
14%
7%6%
Busin
essS
ervice
s
13%
Hotels
&
Restaurants
Overview o the Singapore Workorce by
Industry 2008
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The Structure and Delivery o WSH
Training
There have been many changes to the WSH training
landscape in recent years. Up to 2005, MOMs
Occupational Saety and Health Training and
Promotion Centre had been the major provider
o WSH training in Singapore. It trained some130,000 workers, supervisors, managers and WSH
proessionals annually. It also accredited private
training organisations under the Accredited Training
Providers (ATPs) Certifcation Scheme to conduct
WSH training courses mandated under the law. In
2006, MOM devolved its training unction to the
ATPs in order to ocus on setting the curriculum and
standards or WSH training.
In September 2006, another step was made towards
greater industry involvement in WSH training, with
the establishment o the WSH-Manpower, Skills and
Training Council (WSH-MSTC) under the auspices o
WDAs Workorce Skills Qualifcations (WSQ) system.
The WSQ system is designed to acilitate adult
learning, make skills upgrading more accessible
to the workorce and provide career progression
pathways or them. The WSH-MSTC, which comprises
18 representatives rom industry partners, was
tasked to take the lead on manpower and capability
development issues relating to WSH. Its role includes
identiying the skills and capabilities required by
WSH proessionals, and a ramework to deliver them.
With the ormation o the industry-led WSH Council
in April 2008, industrys role in WSH training has been
urther strengthened.
Notwithstanding these shits towards greater industry
ownership and involvement in matters relating to
WSH training, MOM continues to play a signifcant
role in this area. The WSH Act requires employers,
as part o their duty to take reasonably practicable
measures to ensure the saety and health o their
employees at work, to ensure that their employees
have adequate training to perorm their work. It also
prescribes mandatory WSH courses or various groups
o workers, supervisors and managers. Moreover,
MOM continues to ensure the quality o the training
delivery through the ATP scheme, under which about
100 private training organisations are accredited
as o December 2008. In addition, MOM sets the
standard or WSH proessionals by regulating the
types o qualifcations and training they must attain
and prescribes through legislation the appointment
o such proessionals by companies.
WSH 2018
THE WSH TRAINING LANDSCAPE
WSH Training Courses Currently Conducted By Accredited Training Providers
THE WSH TRAINING LANDSCAPE
07
* Courses mandated under the law
Workplace Saety and
Health PersonnelManagers Supervisors Workers
Confned Space Saety
Assessor Course*
Risk Management Course
Basic Industrial Saety
and Health Course or
Supervisors
Compressed Air Works
Course (Man Lock
Attendant and MedicalLock Attendant)*
Industrial Audiometry
Course*
Saety Instruction Course or
Ship-repair Managers
Building Construction
Supervisors Saety Course*
Construction Saety
Orientation Course
or Workers*
Industrial Noise
Control Course *
Workplace Saety and
Health Management System
Course
Building Construction
Saety Supervisors
(Tunnelling) Course*
Explosive Powered Tools
OperatorsCourse*
Management o Hazardous
Substances Course*
Workshop or CEO / Top
Management
Formwork Saety Course
or Supervisors*
Forklit Drivers
Training Course*
Manhole Saety
Assessors Course*
Liting Saety Course
or Supervisors*
Marine Metal Scaolding
Course or Scaolders*
Noise Monitoring Course*Marine Metal Scaolding
Course or Supervisors*
Metal Scaold
Erection Course*
Occupational First Aid
Courses (ormerly Industrial
First Aid Courses)*
Metal Scaold Erection
Supervisors Course*
Oil/Petrochemical Industries
Saety Orientation Course
or Workers*
Saety Co-ordinators
Training Course*
Oil/Petrochemical
Industry Saety Course
or Supervisors*
Riggers Course*
Saety Ocers
Training Course*
Saety Instruction Course
(Manhole) or Supervisors*
Saety Orientation Course
(Manhole) or Workers*
Shipyard Saety Assessors
(Hot-work Certifcation)
Course*
Shipyard Supervisors
Saety Course*
Saety Orientation Course
(Tunnelling) or Workers*
Workshop or Saety
Auditors
Suspended Scaold
SupervisorsCourse *
Saety Orientation Course
or Workers (Metalworking)*
Shipyard Saety Instruction
Courses or Workers*
Signalmen Course*
Suspended Scaold
RiggersCourse*
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09
TARGETEDOUTCOMES
TARGETEDOUTCOMESSingapore needs people in our workorce with the necessary capabilities, to get to international
standards to compete efectively in the global arena... The Council will urther deliver a national
competency ramework to cover the WSH Proessionals and at least 30 trade-specic elds. Competency-
based training will be delivered by credible and competent training providers, who will be monitoredclosely to ensure proessionalism. Looking into the uture, the Council intends to engage educational
institutions to introduce workplace saety and health early to our younger generation. Exposing our
young early to saety and health beore they begin working will help set expectations, drive change
through the generations, and support raising o standards, as well as build a strong WSH culture.
Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council,
at the Workplace Safety and Health Awards Ceremony 2007
In order to develop Singapore as a Centre o
Excellence or WSH and to attain our target o
bringing the number o workplace atalities to below
1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018, we must frst create
a stronger and more inclusive WSH ecosystem in
which each stakeholder plays an eective role.
Good WSH outcomes can come about only through
the conscious eorts o all relevant stakeholders to
improve saety and health management. By 2018,
most members o the workorce should have a basic
knowledge o WSH issues relevant to their work.Workers in traditionally riskier sectors should be
equipped with the appropriate WSH competencies
to manage the risks in their work, while workers
in less risky environments such as retail shops or
oce environments could be equipped with a basic
awareness o saety and health at the workplace.
The WSH training provided to stakeholders should be
world class. This will ensure that our workers and WSH
proessionals are highly regarded internationally or
their understanding and management o WSH issues
and highly sought ater.
By 2018, we will see a larger pool o WSH proessionals
catering to the increased demand or their services
rom Singapore-based companies placing a growing
emphasis on WSH. We are targeting to grow the size o
the local pool o WSH proessionals to 19,000-strong
by 2018. To attract new entrants to the proession, we
will work to position the proession as a choice career.
Our pool o locally-trained WSH proessionals will also
be supplemented by WSH expertise rom abroad;
even as some o our locally-trained proessionals
venture abroad to oer their services internationally,
our WSH institutions will serve as a magnet to attractWSH practitioners rom overseas to Singapore. The
ow o WSH expertise through Singapore will help
create a vibrant community o practitioners in which
a lively exchange o ideas and best practices on WSH
can take place.
Equipping a growing pool o WSH proessionals and
a broader range o stakeholders with core WSH skills
that are in tune with latest developments at the
workplace will entail a deepening o our capabilities
to provide WSH training and support. We will work
closely with WDA and other partners to increase our
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TARGETED OUTCOMES
WSH 2018
training capacity or WSH proessionals and other
stakeholders. By 2018, we will also see a strengthened
cluster o training providers, and the establishment
o new institutions to conduct research and training
and to provide advisory services on WSH.
By 2018, we will also see industry taking on a more
prominent role in driving the provision o WSH
training. While MOM and WDA will continue to play arole in WSH training through the WSQ ramework, the
trade associations and industry bodies will take the
lead in developing courses that could all outside the
WSQ ramework given their small target audience or
the depth o knowledge required. Such courses will
include those ocussing on topics such as landscape
orientation and occupational saety frst aid.
Apart rom strengthening industrys role in ensuring
WSH outcomes through the provision o training,
2018 will also see personal ownership o WSH
strengthened. All stakeholders will regard WSH as a
matter o course and view saety and health as a way
o lie, rather than as a set o rules and procedures
to be adhered to, with penalties imposed or non-
compliance. At the workplace, WSH management will
thereore be a team eort, rather than a supervisor-led
initiative, with workers watching out or one another
and proactively correcting any lapses in saety.
STRATEGIES
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and standards, the assessment o course
graduates across dierent ATPs and rom
dierent batches can be inconsistent. The
new WSH Proessionals WSQ ramework
addresses this issue by providing a common
benchmark against which the knowledge
and skills o dierent trainees rom dierent
ATPs can be measured objectively.
Providing A Defnitive Path For WSH
Proessionals To Upgrade Themselves
Under the design o the new WSH
Proessionals WSQ ramework, the training
curricula or WSH auditors, ocers,
coordinators and representatives are
complementary and build upon each other.
This provides a clear pathway or WSH
proessionals to upgrade their skills.
Greater Flexibility For WSH Proessionals
The ollowing eatures o the new training
ramework oers WSH proessionals greater
exibility:
WSH Proessionals
WSH Proessionals WSQ Framework
To equip WSH proessionals with the relevant
technical competencies, the WSH-MSTC has
developed a competency ramework under
the WSQ system. The new WSH Proessionals
WSQ Framework has the ollowing key eatures:
WSH 2018
STRATEGIES
Equipping Stakeholders With The Right
Skills And Capabilities
It is essential that WSH proessionals, management,
employees and other relevant stakeholders take
responsibility or WSH outcomes. For them to do
so eectively, they must be equipped with the
appropriate WSH competencies to manage WSH
issues. WSH competencies go beyond technical
knowledge o WSH matters. Specifcally, they reer
to the skills and behaviours that stakeholders must
demonstrate or acquire, in order to achieve high
levels o WSH perormance.
It is not enough, or instance, or a WSH ocer to
know in theory the various aspects that a saety
management system should cover. He should
also be able to communicate to his co-workers theprocedures required to eectively implement the
WSH management system in the company. Similarly,
it is inadequate or a construction worker to just know
the saety rules when working at height. Instead,
under a competency-based training ramework, he
must appreciate the need or the saety rules, like
donning a saety harness, and act accordingly in a
sae manner.
There are two prongs to our eforts to building WSH capabilities in Singapore:
Equipping stakeholders with the right skills and capabilities; and
Building strong supporting institutions to guide the identication and development o such skillsand capabilities.
13
Competency-Based Learning
Previously, WSH training courses ocused
on delivering technical knowledge o saety
management systems, rather than a set
o competencies or WSH proessionals
to manage their duties. The new WSH
Proessionals WSQ ramework places
emphasis on a competency-based, rather
than theory-based, approach to training, by
setting out expected competency outcomesor the various training modules.
Establishing A Common Framework For
Assessment
Previously, ATPs would adopt the course
outlines specifed by MOM but set their own
assessment rameworks. In the absence
o a common assessment ramework
The new ramework will adopt a modular
approach. For instance, where course
participants previously had to take an
entire course covering issues relating
to occupational saety, occupational
health and saety management systems,
they will in uture be able to break up
their learning into dierent modules onsay, investigation o WSH incidents, risk
assessment and hazard identifcation.
This allows WSH proessionals to better
manage their pace o learning. They
may also be exempted rom specifc
modules i they have demonstrated
competencies in these areas, thereby
allowing them to customise their learning.
Where previously, entry into the various
WSH training programmes was based
mainly on training and academic
credentials, the new competency
ramework recognises work experience.
The new ramework also oers industry-
specifc elective modules to allow WSH
proessionals in a particular sector todevelop specialised skills relevant to
their area o work. For example, courses
ocusing specifcally on risk management
in the construction industry could be
designed or WSH proessionals rom that
sector.
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15By providing a clear pathway or career progression
and upgrading, the ramework will raise the stature
and proessionalism o WSH practice, thereby
supporting our eorts to attract more people into the
WSH proession. To help bring more people into the
proession we will provide unding support or new
entrants to the proession such as scholarships
training under the WSH Proessionals WSQ ramework.
We will work closely with WDA and other par tners toincrease our training capacity on this ront.
Upgrading Competencies O Existing
WSH Proessionals
We will also provide support to existing proessionals
to upgrade their competencies. Companies sending
their workers or training under the WSH Proessional
WSQ ramework will be given unding support. We
will also introduce bridging courses or existing
WSH proessionals. These courses will help align
their competencies with those under the new WSQ
ramework, by addressing any competency gaps in
specifc areas such as the management o internal
WSH audits and behavioural saety programmes.
Strengthening Continuing Proessional
Development
The current continuing proessional development
(CPD) system is ocused on WSH ocers registeredwith MOM, awarding them credits when they
undergo relevant courses, which in turn count
towards the renewal o their registration. Moving
WSH Proessionals WSQ Map and Framework orward, the CPD system will be expanded beyondregistered WSH ocers, to include other WSH
proessionals such as WSH auditors and coordinators.
The awarding o credits will also be better structured
and geared towards ensuring that the competencies
o WSH proessionals remain relevant and keep
apace with the latest WSH developments. Firstly, to
encourage WSH proessionals to identiy and address
any competency gaps, more credits can be awardedor courses serving to plug such gaps. This is an
approach that has been adopted in the UK. Secondly,
to encourage WSH proessionals to strengthen their
sector-specifc competencies, more credits can be
awarded or courses that are directly relevant to the
industry that the WSH proessional is working in.
Thirdly, to help newly-qualifed WSH proessionals
or WSH proessionals who have switched industries
assimilate into their new roles, the CPD system can
award credits or on-the-job training.
Developing WSH Consultants And
Specialists
The WSH Council will also work with the relevant
proessional bodies to gradually expand the
competency ramework to address the proessional
development o not only WSH auditors, ocers,
coordinators and representatives, but also WSH
consultants and specialists such as industrial
hygienists and competent persons involved in the
assessment and control o WSH risks (such as noise
and chemical monitoring and control ocers).
WSH 2018
STRATEGIES STRATEGIES
WSH Auditor,
Lead Auditor,
Consultant, Specialist
Graduate Certifcate in WSH
5 Core Units + 3 Elective Units
WSH Ocer,Advisor, Specialist,
Manager, Executive
Specialist Diploma in WSH
11 Core Units + 3 Elective Units
WSH Representatives,
Promoter, Advocate
Certifcate in WSH
5 Core Units + 1 Elective Unit
WSH Audit Management
WSH Legislation
WSH Management SystemImprovement
Develop and Maintain WSHManagement System (eg.Investigation, WSH PerormanceManagement)
WSH Legislation
Behavioural and Saety Programme
Communication and RelationshipManagement
Manage Internal WSH Audits
Electives on Managing IndustrySpecifc Risks
Industrial Hygiene WSH Operational Excellence
Basic Hazard Identifcation andRisk Control
Communication and RelationshipManagement
Accident Investigation Skills
Electives on Managing IndustrySpecifc Risks
Environment Management System
WSH Training
Managerial Skills and Techniques
Financial Management or WSH
Psychological Topics
Presentation Techniques
Problem Solving and InnovationTechniques
WSH Culture Promotion
Core(Key Elements)
Electives(Key Elements)
Typical Job Titles
and Qualifcations
WSH Coordinator,Supervisor
Advanced Certifcate in WSH
9 Core Units + 2 Elective Units
Administer and Coordinate theWSH System
WSH Supervisory Skills
Communication and RelationshipManagement
Accident Investigation Skills
Electives on Recognition o Hazardsin Various Industries and ControlMeasures
WSH Training
Problem Solving and InnovationTechniques
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WSH 2018
17
STRATEGIES
The General Workorce
Members o the general workorce should be
equipped with the relevant broad-based, as well as
trade-specifc WSH competencies that will enable
them to manage WSH risks and respond to these risks
appropriately. However, the tools and competencies
that members o the workorce are equipped with
must be tailored to their respective roles within the
company as a leader, middle manager or a worker
on the ground.
WSH Competency Map For The General
Workorce
Senior Management
The commitment o senior management is
vital in driving WSH improvement eorts
towards the targeted WSH outcomes.
Commitment to WSH can be demonstrated
through various avenues, such as reinorcing
a companys WSH policy and goals and
publishing a companys WSH perormance in
its annual report, conducting management
audits on WSH and rewarding employees
or good saety outcomes. To acilitate the
exchange o ideas between industry leaders
on this issue, the WSH Council could launch a
CEO roundtable on WSH.
Line Supervisors, HR And Middle
Management
This group o employees is typically
responsible or translating management
commitment into concrete WSH eorts or
workers. They have a strong inuence on
workers behaviour and play an important
role in establishing a strong WSH culture
that permeates throughout the organisation.
Accordingly, they should be equipped with
proper use o personal protective equipment,
as well as sector-specifc training where
appropriate, to take into account the risks
present in the dierent industries.
For oreign workers, WSH training should
take into account the workers educational
and cultural backgrounds. Workplace hazard
communication should adopt an appropriatemedium o communication. We will also
explore refning the WSH training ramework
or oreign workers, or instance, providing
WSH training in the workers home countries.
This would ensure that workers would have
a strong grasp o WSH issues beore their
arrival in Singapore.
WSH management skills that will enable
them to identiy potential hazards in the
workplace, coach workers to deal with these
hazards and ensure that saety procedures
and programmes are properly implemented
on the ground. They will also need to be
trained in behavioural observation skills
to identiy and correct any unsae acts and
behaviours. To support the development o
these competencies, the WSH Council will
work with the industry and trade associations
to develop WSH management tools that
managers can reer to in their daily work.
This includes WSH management guidelines
to help managers understand and discharge
their WSH responsibilities such as the conduct
o observation audits on WSH practices.
The WSH Council and WSH MSTC will also
explore incorporating WSH modules into
the HR WSQ to help HR managers develop a
better appreciation o WSH issues and their
management.
Workers
All workers should be equipped with basic
WSH skills such as the identifcation o
sae and risky work behaviours to enable
them to perorm their tasks saely. They
should be educated on their rights to a
sae working environment. To give them
a better appreciation o the importance o
saety, WSH training should ocus on helping
workers understand the potential hazards in
their workplaces and thereore the rationale
or the protective measures they should
undertake.
Workers in riskier industries should receive
additional WSH training on issues such as the
Occupational
Skills
Industry Knowledge and Skills
Broad-Based Skills
WSH skills or workin specic conditions
(e.g. underwater welding or welding
at height)
WSH knowledge and skills relevant to an
industry cluster (e.g. welding in the marine sector)
Broad-based skills that are portable across all industries
(e.g. management skills and tools to build a WSH culture)
The competency ramework is organised into
industry-relevant and broad-based competency units.
Broad-based WSH competencies reer to the basic competencies and management tools that are
portable across diferent industries, such as developing WSH policies and procedures, managing work
behaviors, identiying and eliminating WSH hazards.
Meanwhile, WSH trade-specic competencies reer to WSH competencies required to work in a particular
industry such as construction or marine. An example o this would be signaling and rigging.
STRATEGIES
To inculcate saety consciousness in the general
workorce at an early stage, we will work towards
integrating WSH awareness modules into the pre-
employment training ramework, i.e. in the syllabi
o schools and tertiary institutions. Basic WSH
competencies can also be urther integrated into
the technical courses at tertiary institutions such as
engineering and nursing.
Building Strong Supporting
Institutions
Enhancing the Role o Industry Bodies
Greater industry ownership o WSH outcomes is one
o the key principles underpinning Singapores WSH
ramework. In parallel with recent moves or the
industry to play a more prominent role in various
aspects o WSH management, rom the setting o
acceptable practices to outreach and engagement,
industry has also been playing a larger role in WSH
competency building. Industry bodies such as the
building WSH competencies in Singapore
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CONCLUSIONWSH 2018
STRATEGIES
Creating a World-Class WSH Institute
The emergence o new technologies will bring
about changes to both the workplace and work
processes. Our capability building eorts must
keep pace with these changes to ensure that the
workorce is prepared to meet the challenges that
such shits may present. The creation o a world-
class WSH Institute ocussed on the pursuit o WSHexcellence in various areas such as training, research
and development and the provision o WSH services
will be an important aspect o such eorts. The WSH
Institute will bring together dierent stakeholders
and segments o the WSH ecosystem ranging rom
industry leaders to WSH proessionals to academics,
to exchange ideas and expertise on WSH matters. For
instance, these institutes can provide consultancy
and research services to industry, developing tailored
programmes and tools to address the WSH challenges
that companies may be acing. WSH practitioners
can upgrade their skills at these institutes through
specialised WSH programmes, or broaden their
exposure by working with researchers to translate
their experience into new tools and processes.
They can also be engaged as trainers to share their
experience on the ground. In summary, our vision is
or the WSH Institute to serve as a:
Providing resources to assist WSH practice
through the publication o codes o practice
and guidelines and the acilitation o practice-
oriented research;
Enhancing proessionalism within the sector
by taking the lead in the certifcation o
WSH proessionals, and setting and ensuring
standards or WSH proessionals in areas such as
qualifcations, training and codes o conduct;
Building proessional recognition or local WSH
practitioners by working with industry bodies
and proessional associations abroad to develop
a ramework to recognise the qualifcations o
local WSH practitioners;
Growing the WSH proession through the
provision o WSH scholarships, mentorships and
industrial attachments to eligible parties;
Facilitating proessional development through
the provision o WSH scholarships and
dissemination o inormation to local WSH
proessionals on the training and career
opportunities available in various areas o the
WSH proession such as teaching, research or
feld work. The range o courses recognised
under the CPD scheme can also be expanded;
and
Fostering a strong WSH proessional community
by providing platorms such as seminars and
workshops or networking and acilitating the
exchange o ideas and experiences between
proessionals rom dierent industries.
Provider o advanced and/or specialised WSH
training courses;
Centre or curriculum development and
world class research on WSH;
Nexus between academia and industry;
Resource centre or WSH; and
Platorm to showcase and eventually export
Singapores WSH capabilities.
WSH Council and WSH-MSTC now take the lead in
ormulating the training syllabi and assessment
strategies or WSH proessionals and the general
workorce. Moving orward, there is scope or the
WSH Council and WSH-MSTC to work with the
proessional and trade associations to support the
growth and development o the WSH proession.
Some o the collaborative eorts between the WSH
Council, WSH-MSTC and the proessional and tradeassociations can include:
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Published in May 2009 by the Workplace Saety and
Health Council in collaboration with the Ministry o
Manpower.
All rights reserved. This publication may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any orm or by any means,
in whole or in part, without prior written permission. The
inormation provided in this publication is accurate at
the time o printing. The Workplace Saety and HealthCouncil does not accept any liability or responsibility to
any party or losses or damages arising rom ollowing
this publication.
This publication is also available on the Workplace
Saety and Health Council website: www.wshc.gov.sg
CONCLUSIONThis document proposes initiatives to strengthen
and deepen WSH capabilities within the workorce.
It will guide our eorts - the Government, industry,
WSH proessionals, employers, workers and other
stakeholders alike - to achieve the new WSH targeto bringing the number o workplace atalities to
below 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018 and our vision
o a sae and healthy workplace or everyone and a
country renowned or best practices in WSH.
WSH 2018
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published by