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OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 63
STRATEGY 4
COLLABORATION ON THE LOCAL FRONTOn the local front, there were many opportunities for the government to collaborate and synergise with key stakeholder
groups in various sectors to drive workplace safety and health (WSH) improvement.
Members of SPRING’s Technical Committees and Workgroups on WSH Standard DevelopmentSpecialist staff from the
Occupational Safety and Health
Division (OSHD) participated in
various SPRING Singapore Technical
Workgroups to develop and review
WSH-related Singapore Standards
(SS). The Standards which serve
as a benchmark to assess whether
reasonable practicable measures
have been taken with regards to
maintaining WSH standards at
workplaces. Upon completion of
the Standards, speakers from MOM
were invited to share on relevant
safety topics related to the specific
standards at the launching seminar
organised by SPRING Singapore.
For instance, on 11 July 2012, during the Seminar on Singapore Standards for Personal Safety & Health and Safe Use of
Equipment, SPRING Singapore launched the following 2 standards which OSHD staff had actively participated in the review:
SS 473 Standard Series comprising
SS473: 2011 Part 1 : Specification for Personal Eye Protector - General Requirements
SS473: 2011 Part 2 : Specification for Personal Eye Protector - Selection Use and Maintenance
SS 497:2011 Code of Practice for Design, Safe Use and Maintenance of Gantry Cranes, Overhead Travelling Cranes
and Monorail Hoists;
SS 573: 2012 Code of Practice for Safe Use of Powered Counterbalanced Forklifts.
For the Seminar, the Deputy Director of the OSH Specialist Department, Er. Ismadi Mohd, was invited to present a paper on
“Legislative Requirement Relating to Overhead Travelling Cranes, Gantry Cranes and Monorail Hoists and Powered
Counterbalanced Forklifts”.
Honorary Researchers
Mr Tan Kia Tang (MOM)
Dr Kenneth Choy (MOM)
Appointment of Honorary Fellows and ResearchersThe WSH Institute has appointed 4 eminent WSH proponents to be the Institute’s Honorary Fellows and Honorary Researchers.
These appointees will participate in the research work of the Institute, encourage and nurture WSH research among the
students and graduates of the Institutions of Higher Learning, and also provide expert knowledge on various specialised
fields.
Honorary Fellows
A/Prof Leong Kah Fai (NTU)
A/Prof David Chua (NUS)
Designing for SafetyThe WSH Institute proposed to the Department of Architecture from the National University of Singapore (NUS) for their
undergraduate students to develop new safe tentage designs. The resulting collaboration saw interesting designs for
consideration by the tentage industry. For the students, they benefited from greater awareness of safety considerations
when designing building structures.
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ASIA Europe Meeting Symposium on Developing a Preventive Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Culture, SingaporeSingapore and France, in co-operation with the European Commission, organised the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) OSH
Symposium on Developing a Preventive OSH Culture at the York Hotel Singapore on 10-11 September 2012. The Symposium,
graced by the Guest of Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health and Manpower, was attended by 62 senior officials
of Labour and Employment ministries of ASEM partners, representatives from international and regional organisations such
as ILO, IALI, ASEAN-OSHNET, and social partners such as ITUC, ETUC, ASETUC, SLIC.
The symposium enabled participants to strengthen their understanding on developing an OSH culture in SMEs across the
two regions and facilitated cross learning of experiences. Both the European and Asian government representatives shared
their perspectives of the regulator’s role in developing OSH Culture in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition,
there was sharing from companies’ and tripartite partners’ perspectives. The companies shared the ways in which good OSH
performances among their contractors and supply chain could benefit them, as well as their experiences and challenges
faced in improving OSH culture. There was also a sharing session by international and regional organisations on fostering a
preventive OSH culture in workplaces.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONOn the international stage, there were also many learning opportunities for OSHD this year.
OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 65
STRATEGY 4
Ratification of International Labour Organization (ILO) Promotional Framework for the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Convention
Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-
Jin, announced on 11 June 2012 that Singapore’s
Ministry of Manpower will ratify the ILO
Promotional Framework for Occupational
Safety and Health (OSH) Convention, C187, at
the International Labour Conference in Geneva,
Switzerland. This move to ratify C187 was
supported by its tripartite partners – National
Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore
National Employers Federation (SNEF), as well
as WSH Council.
C187 is an ILO labour standard aimed at
establishing and implementing coherent
national policies on OSH, and promoting a
preventive safety and health culture through
effective collaboration with tripartite partners.
Member states that ratify C187 are required to
establish a framework within which OSH can be promoted. The Convention serves to foster political commitment to develop
national OSH policies, systems, programmes and profiles to promote a culture of continuous improvement of OSH to prevent
occupational injuries, diseases and deaths in workplaces.
Singapore is the 23rd ILO member state to ratify this Convention and is the fourth country in Asia to do so. In ratifying the
Convention, Singapore’s efforts in Workplace Safety and Health will be aligned with international labour standards in ensuring
that the safety and health of our workers is always a top priority on the National agenda. The ratification also cements current
efforts done in collaboration with tripartite partners to safeguard workers against work-related injuries and ill health.
The 5th ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network Plus Three Policy Dialogue on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems
The 5th ASEAN OSHNET Plus Three Policy
Dialogue on Occupational Safety and Health
Management Systems (OSHMS) was held in
Singapore from 29 February to 1 March 2012.
This dialogue was jointly organised by the
Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
(MHLW) and the Singapore Ministry of
Manpower (MOM). Close to 30 OSH experts
from 15 countries and organisations including
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as
representatives from the People’s Republic
of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, ASEAN-
OSHNET Secretariat and the International
Labour Organization (ILO) participated in this
dialogue.
Over the course of the dialogue, each participating country shared its latest initiatives and developments in implementing
OSHMS. From the enactment of new legislatives to the initiatives undertaken to simplify the process of implementing OSHMS
to OSHMS good practices, there was a strong sense among the delegates that OSH developments particularly within ASEAN
was rapid and progressive. The lively exchange of ideas and discussion, facilitated by moderators at the end of each session,
further enhanced the sharing. Following the presentations by Hitachi Plant Technologies Limited and Yokogawa Electric
Asia Private Limited, the delegates also had a chance to visit their sites and gained a first-hand experience of the ground
implementation of OSHMS.
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The dialogue concluded with a review of
the work of the policy dialogue on OSHMS
and reinforced the impetus for the focus on
OSHMS and the need for continued dialogue.
Such platforms help to enhance the sharing
of information and anticipation of emerging
issues so that future plans can be made. To
strengthen the implementation of OSHMS in
the region, there was also a broad consensus
that it was important to develop a strategy to
encourage implementation of OSHMS. The key
strategies include:
Building capability on developing and
implementing OSHMS in companies
tailored to individual nation’s and
organisation’s needs;
Aligning OSHMS with business outcomes.
This would entail getting buy-ins from all
stakeholders and adopting a tripartite
approach to ensure that the OSHMS
implementation took into account the
needs of businesses and workers,
particularly the challenges faced by
SMEs; and
Developing effective regulation and
enforcement capabilities to encourage
implementation of OSHMS.
OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 67
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ASEAN OSHNET Coordinating Board MeetingThe ASEAN-OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting is an annual meeting between the ASEAN-OSHNET representatives to
update and discuss the OSH developments in their country, as well as to share best practices with the interest of improving
the OSH standards in the region.
The 13th ASEAN OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting (CBM) was held on 18-19 April 2012 in Manila, Philippines. MOM was
represented by Dr Lee Hock Siang, Director for OSH Specialists and Mr Tan Fang Qun, Head (International Collaboration) at
the meeting. MOM updated our initiatives in the programme area of strengthening OSH inspection in ASEAN and the latest
OSH developments in Singapore.
The CBM took stock of OSH progress of all ASEAN Member states since the adoption of the 5-Year Plan of Action and
activities on OSH under National OSH Frameworks at CBM 12. The AMSs made good progress in raising OSH standards and
many of the targets set under this Plan of Action have been achieved as a result of the commitment and effort of all ASEAN
Members states.
Regional and International Collaboration in WSHOver the past year, Singapore continued to collaborate with our partners in raising OSH standards and capacities.
MOM conducted a one-week training course from 24-28 September 2012 for our Qatari counterparts from the Department
of Labour Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health Division on OSH Inspection. A total of 8 delegates attended
this training. During the training, the delegates were given an overview of Singapore’s OSH framework. They were also
brought on site so as to build up the capabilities of participants in the conduct of workplace inspections, audits and
investigations
Two officers from the Ministry of Health, Brunei were attached to MOM OSHD for two weeks to understand Singapore’s
OSH framework and how it is implemented and enforced. They were also provided with practical on-the-job training by
going to inspections with OSHD’s officers.
Our VisitorsOSHD played host to a total of 5 overseas visits in 2012 which encompassed distinguished visitors both from private and
government sectors. A wide spectrum of OSH issues were discussed during these visits and the fruitful exchanges were
valuable for both the host and visiting countries.
Date Visitor
7 May 2012 Delegates from Brunei Public Works Departments
25 July 2012 Delegates from Rostechnadzor (RTN)
3 Dec 2012 Delegates from Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA)
11 Dec 2012 Delegates from Ministry of Health, Vietnam
12 Dec 2012 Delegates from Korean Education Faculty Disaster Association (EDUFA)
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Collaboration with Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) UKThe Engineering Safety Branch from the OSH Specialist Department
regularly meets up with LEEA to explore collaboration opportunities
between MOM and LEEA on Lifting Safety. LEEA is an international
representative body in the lifting industry which is based in HK. They are
the representative body for their Members who work in every aspect of
the industry, from design; manufacture, refurbishment and repair, through
to the hire, maintenance and use of lifting equipment.
The Association has played a key role in this specialised field, from
training and standards setting, to health and safety matters, the provision
of technical and legal advice, and the development of examination and
licensing systems.
4th Asian Conference of Occupational Safety and Health Research Institutions (AOSHRI) Dr Gan Siok Lin (Dy ED, WSH Institute) represented Singapore at the 4th AOSHRI in Kuala Lumpur which brought together 29
participants from 10 countries. The conference provided the platform to facilitate regional cooperation in solving OSH issues,
and the exchange of information, whilst also creating research synergy through the regional network of research institutions.
15th Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH)Dr Gan Siok Lin (Dy ED, WSH Institute) presented a plenary paper on “Promoting Safety and Health in a Green Economy” to
1300 delegates of COSH, an annual conference and exhibition organised by NIOSH Malaysia.
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Russia 2012, Kazan, Russian ConfederationIn APEC Russia 2012, held from 21 – 23 May 2012, Mdm Veronica Chow (Senior Assistant Director, OSH Specialist) represented
Singapore at the Workshop on Concept of Data Exchange on Chemical Products and Chemical Substances Hazardous
Properties, and the 9th Conference on Standards and Conformance in the Field of Innovations and Related Good Practices
where she presented a paper on Chemical Management in Singapore.
The International Conference on Chemical Policy 2012 (ICCP), Seoul, KoreaThe ICCP held from 23 – 25 October 2012, was organised by Korea Chemicals Management Association and supported by
the Ministry of Environment, Korea. Mdm Veronica Chow (Senior Assistant Director, OSH Specialist) was invited to speak on
Chemical Management in Singapore.
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13 July 2012
Professor dr. Gerard I.J.M. Zwetsloot from TNO (Holland) visited WSH Institute and shared on Corporate Social Responsibility for promoting WSH. He emphasised that “Vision Zero” was not a ‘risk control’ strategy but a ‘safety commitment’ strategy, which emphasised that the company does not tolerate accidents/incidents.
17 July 2012
WSH Institute hosted delegates from the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) and shared with them the OSH system and policy in Singapore as well as the Institute’s research activities.
19 July 2012
The WSH Institute hosted Professor Scott Clark, Professor Emeritus with the University of Cincinnati, for an industry dialogue session involving stakeholders from NUS, WDA, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Occupational and Environmental Health Society. During the session, Prof Clark shared his experiences in the development of postgraduate programmes in Occupational Hygiene.
31 July 2012
Professor Harri Vainio, Director General of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) visited the Institute and shared with the Institute’s management and its Governing Board his experiences in the development of research centres and research priorities. Prof Vainio also presented “From evidence to action: what works?” at the WSH Institute Forum. In the same afternoon, he also spoke on both the importance as well as limitations of scientific evidence to OSH
policies, initiatives and outcomes.
10 October 2012
WSH Institute’s International Visitors
9th WHO Collaborating Centres Meeting for Occupational Health
WSH Institute hosted Dr Robert Aitken (Managing Director, IOM Singapore) and Dr Alastair Robertson (Director of Occupational Hygiene, IOM) for a discussion on recent international research interests and possible areas of research collaborations between the 2 organisations.
Dr Lucy Leong represented MOM in the 9th WHO
Collaborating Centres meeting for Occupational Health on
15-16 March 2012, in Cancun, Mexico. She participated in the
focus group discussion on “healthcare workers” as well as on
“healthy workplaces”.
Dr Lucy Leong attended the 30th International Congress
on Occupational Health from 18 – 23 March 2012, in Cancun,
Mexico, with the theme being “Occupational Health for All:
From Research to Practice”. There were 1745 participants
from 91 countries attending 10 keynote sessions, 30 semi-
plenary sessions, 116 mini-symposiums and special sessions,
91 free paper sessions and 51 business meetings.