9 construction sites halted after fatalities due to safety failures in H2 2024: Zaqy Mohamad

During a 7 January Parliamentary sitting, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad revealed that nine of the 14 construction sites where fatalities occurred in the second half of 2024 were issued stop-work orders due to inadequate safety management systems.

These sites were required to review their safety systems before resuming work, with none having received stop-work orders prior to the incidents.

He was responding to questions filed by MPs, who questioned about the effectiveness of the November 2024 Safety Time-Out in raising safety awareness, its impact on the rise in construction fatalities in H2 2024, and whether stricter measures such as external safety audits should be implemented at sites with fatalities.

While acknowledging concerns about the rise in fatalities, SMS Zaqy defended that Singapore’s construction sector has a better safety performance compared to many developed countries, such as Japan.

However, he noted that it still falls short of top-performing countries like the Netherlands, indicating room for improvement.

He assured that that Singapore’s construction sector has a better safety performance compared to many developed countries, such as Japan. However, he noted that it still falls short of top-performing countries like the Netherlands, indicating room for improvement.

Zaqy added that MOM has ramped up enforcement efforts in 2024, conducting over 3,000 inspections to address key safety risks such as working at heights and vehicular safety.

Despite overall fatality rates decreasing, construction fatalities remain high, Zaqy call for improved safety standards, especially during the Chinese New Year period.

Workers' Party MP Louis Chua asked if a workplace fatality would automatically trigger a disqualification period for public sector projects and inquired about MOM's resources for investigating safety violations and ensuring corrective measures are implemented.

In response, Zaqy explained that the merit point system for public sector projects has been enhanced, with firms accumulating demerit points for fatalities and violations, which could lead to a debarment from public contracts.

While this system is impactful for larger firms, small SMEs, which are less reliant on public sector work, may not be as affected, particularly in sectors like A&A projects and facility management.

[davidng]

Take a drive along the congested peak hours and you will realize there is a hell of a construction work all over the island. Along with thousands of malaysian motorcyclists weaving in and out traffic. Even if you are F1 driver or F1 motorcyclist the fatal accidents all are unavoidable with this flood of heavy traffic and mass construction going on. THE PAP IS EXTRACTING BLOOD WITHOUT BLINKING AN EYE.