On 10 February 2023, the Ministry of Manpower (“MOM“) announced an extension to the Heightened Safety Period and the implementation of additional Workplace Safety and Health (“WSH“) measures to run in tandem with the extended Heightened Safety Period (“HSP“). The HSP was first introduced on 1 September 2022 and was due to end on the 28 February 2023. It included measures targeted at addressing the rising number of workplace fatalities that occurred in 2022.
Extended Heightened Safety Period
The HSP has been extended by three months and will run from 1 March 2023 to 31 May 2023. In its announcement, MOM highlighted that during the initial HSP the annualised workplace fatality rate improved. However, during that same period the annualised workplace major injury rate increased. Further, the impact of the HSP was uneven across sectors. MOM’s concerns are that major injuries are reflective of persistent safety lapses within the workplace, and these types of injuries are likely to have debilitating effects. Hence, the need to extend the HSP.
Additional Measures During the Extended Heightened Safety Period
Four additional measures will be implemented during the extended HSP. These additional measures take into account the recommendations made by the International Advisory Panel for Workplace Safety and Health in January 2023.
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