Opening Address by Minister for Transport Mr S Iswaran at the 23rd LTA Annual Safety, Health and Environmental Award Convention (ASAC 2021)

Ladies and Gentlemen 

Members of the industry 

Partners of LTA  

LTA colleagues, 

1.     A very good afternoon to all of you. It is my pleasure to join everyone today at LTA’s 23rd Annual Safety, Health and Environmental Award Convention. We are here to celebrate the achievements of organisations that have contributed to better safety, health and sustainable environmental outcomes at their workplaces. It is also a platform for us to share experiences and learn best practices from one another. 

2.     The theme of this convention, “Adapting to New Norms and Continual Training for a Safer and More Productive Workforce”, is particularly timely given the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought to the fore existing priorities such as ensuring safe workplaces. We are also managing new and evolving trends, including the growing importance of mental health and ensuring long-term environmental sustainability at our workplaces.  

3.     A safe, healthy and environmentally sustainable workplace requires commitment and effort from both companies and workers. I am heartened by the good practices adopted by our partners, and will share some examples in my speech. 

Impact of COVID-19 on a Safe and Healthy Workplace

4.     Our collective response to the COVID-19 situation is testament to our commitment to maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. This included how companies had to deal with sudden manpower crunches, while managing delays in work progress. 

5.     Two months back, our bus workforce was hit by a rising number of cases of infection and quarantine orders. LTA and the bus operators, along with the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), put in place tighter measures and reminded all to be vigilant, to keep our public transport workers and commuters safe. For example, staff resting and dining areas at the interchanges were segregated, and the cleaning frequency of high touch points at staff areas was doubled to at least once every hour. Although around 10 per cent of our public bus captains were affected at one point, only a small number of our services actually saw increases in waiting times. This was possible only through the close cooperation of all stakeholders, and the candid sharing of learnings among the operators and bus captains, and the timely response to the evolving situation. So, even though we compete in certain contexts, we also collaborate in these times of urgency.

6.     I am glad that all the bus interchange clusters have been closed, and am most thankful to our bus captains, who have made sacrifices to cope and adapt to the challenging operating environment. Moving forward, to ensure our public transport workers continue to be well-protected, we are working with our operators and NTWU to help them take their booster shots. Till date, more than half of those who are eligible have received it, and I am confident that this will grow further in the coming weeks.  

7.     COVID-19 has also highlighted the importance of managing workplace health, including the provision of mental health support. This is not new to us. A key strategy of the Workplace Safety and Health 2028 vision is to ensure a healthy workforce. Some of our contractors have earlier embarked on this journey by putting in place health screening for their workers. 

8.     Our prolonged fight against COVID-19 has also had an impact on the mental well-being of our migrant workers. Being far from home in the midst of a pandemic has caused greater anxiety among some of our migrant workers. I am glad that employers have provided support to our migrant workers by arranging meals to celebrate festivals, and bringing in specialists to share stress management techniques. These efforts have helped to lessen anxiety levels and reduce workplace incidents. 

9.     Another initiative to support the mental health of workers is Project Dawn, a multi-stakeholder taskforce set up by the Ministry of Manpower. Through Project Dawn, workers can gain access to materials on self-care practices and avenues to seek help. Employers will also be able to pick up knowledge on providing psychological first aid at work. 

Progress Towards Zero Accident

10.    Even as we adapt to our changing operating environment, we must never lose sight of our goal of Zero Accident. In 2020, the National Workplace Injury Rate (WIR) for the construction industry, measured by the proportion of workplace accidents over the total number of workers, was 424 per 100,000 workers. In comparison, LTA and its contractors outperformed with a WIR of 78.2. This is a significant improvement from our WIR of 161.8 in 2016. Even as we appreciate this commendable achievement, let us always remind ourselves that ensuring safety is a continuous endeavour and we must always remain vigilant. 

Safe Public Transport System

11.    Indeed, it was vigilance and compliance with safety protocols that helped our frontline transport workers avert two potentially serious accidents. In July, Train Captain Mohammad Taufik Bin Zawadi spotted a man climbing over the platform screen door and onto the tracks to retrieve his phone. He immediately applied the emergency brake to stop the train. For his vigilance and swift action, Train Captain Taufik will be conferred the Public Transport Safety Award (Special Commendation).

12.    In August, we witnessed a team of SMRT public transport workers who similarly displayed their commitment to safety. When a female commuter was spotted on the tracks near Yio Chu Kang MRT station, two train service controllers on duty sprung to action upon being alerted to the situation. Mr Phoon Soon Tuck @ Dhyan Khorsand immediately brought the train to a stop, while Mr Mohamad Azli Bin Mohd Azni contacted the station staff. Station Manager Effendi Bin Hashim and Assistant Station Manager Norjan Binte Abdul Rayman then proceeded to guide the commuter back to safety. The team’s prompt response prevented a potentially serious accident. I am therefore happy to confer the Public Transport Safety Award (Special Commendation) on the SMRT team. 

Good Practices Implemented by Contractors and Public Transport Operators

13.    Notwithstanding the challenges brought about by COVID-19, the pandemic has also provided opportunities to embrace technology for the benefit of workers and workplaces. 

14.    I am heartened to learn that some of our partners have made a special effort to establish innovative and effective solutions to enhance the safety and health at the workplace. Our public transport operators have stepped up efforts to ensure the safety of commuters. Besides regular cleaning of the public transport system, they introduced the use of high efficiency filters to treat recirculated air in the trains and at train stations. 

15.    I would like to share two other examples. NOVAARS, a civil and structural engineering firm, initiated the use of pole cameras to assist inspectors during their inspection of bridge structures. This has reduced the risk of working at heights and provided a safer environment. The inspection process is now also completed more efficiently. 

16.    GS Engineering and Construction, responding to the new COVID-19 requirements, created an in-house online platform for their workers to “check in” and “check out” at different work zones. This allowed accurate recordings, with ease of retrieval for contact tracing. Other good examples of companies adopting technology to improve their business practices and to keep their workplaces safe will be shared later. 

Global and National Focus on Sustainability

17.    Beyond COVID-19, we are focused firmly on our mission to tackle the other significant challenge of our times - climate change. 

18.    As Singapore’s land transport master planner, LTA is committed to environmentally sustainable practices. For instance, we will explore the use of energy-efficient equipment and plants at our construction sites, and work with the industry to find ways to reduce carbon emission. We will also look into clean energy sources, and step up efforts to reduce water consumption and waste generation from construction activities.

New Environmental Sustainability Award

19.    Each one of us can contribute to a green and sustainable environment. This goes beyond just minimising our carbon footprint to having a positive impact on the environment, such as reducing noise from construction works. In order to recognise our partners’ efforts in adopting novel and innovative solutions to enhance the living environment of our communities, we will launch the Environmental Sustainability Innovation award.

Conclusion

20.    To conclude, I would like to reiterate my heartiest congratulations to all the winners. Your achievements today demonstrate your dedication, and will go a long way to inspire and encourage other companies to adopt similar practices for safer, healthier and environmentally sustainable workplaces.  

21.    Thank you all for participating. I wish all of you a very productive day ahead.