The Guide to Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower provides information on the extended coverage of the Workplace Safety and Health Act 2006 (the Act) from Phase 2, i.e. medium risk workplaces, to Phase 3, i.e. all workplaces including offices and all stakeholders will be covered by this new subsidiary legislation of the Act as of September 2011. The key principle of the Act is as follows:
“Each and every stakeholder has the duty to take, so far as is reasonably practicable, such measures as are necessary to ensure safety and health for any person who may be
affected by his undertaking in the workplace.”
This will undoubtedly have significant impacts on business owners, managers, supervisors and rank-and-file employees alike as they have to take reasonable measures to find out and control risks at the workplace through safe work methods. Thus, it is pertinent that we prepare for this new subsidiary legislation come September.
Some details of this new subsidiary legislation are further elaborated in a report by Liberty International Underwriters, which lays out its key principles and practical implications.
Under the Act, employers and various other stakeholders are responsible for mitigating risks at work by establishing adequate safety management systems, failing which could result in strict penalties. In addition to the existing basic protection and compensation for employees as stated in the Work Injury Compensation Act 2008, one of the highlights of the new subsidiary legislation is the need for a Risk Management programme that specifically targets risks at one’s workplace so that business owners can minimize and control them. Businesses can benefit from a proactive attitude towards risk management, as employers can keep employees safe, ensure smooth business operations and increase productivity in the long run. The efficiency of a firm's Risk Management Approach can be measured against several benchmarks – e.g. the Management’s Commitment to ensure safety responsibilities are made aware to employees; establishing a Risk Assessment team within the organization to identify, evaluate, control and keep records of workplace risks; ensuring that all work-related incidents are covered by work injury compensation insurance and all incidents are reported within the required timeline and acted upon as stipulated by the law.
For additional information on how the new subsidiary legislation affect your business, as well as the measures that should be implemented to prevent injuries from non-manual work hazards, we recommend reviewing the WSH Guide at the following link:
https://eu1.salesforce.com/sfc/p/200000009E7d.q1Maj74fqcjLuWy5yMWh1ZBaP4=.
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