Speech by Acting Minister for Transport Mr Chee Hong Tat at the LTA Annual Safety, Health, and Environmental Award Convention

Industry Partners, 
Colleagues from the Land Transport Authority and other public agencies, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

1.     I would like to welcome everyone to the 25th Annual Safety, Health, and Environmental Awards Convention organised by LTA. Today, 42 organisations across 17 categories will be recognised for their exemplary commitment to workplace safety and health, as well as to the environment. 

2.     Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that protecting lives and livelihoods is not about choosing one or the other, but coming up with sound measures and innovative solutions that can protect both lives and livelihoods together. This is also true in our industry, where workers perform difficult tasks under challenging circumstances, and operate heavy equipment and tools. We want them to stay safe and healthy, so they can do their work in effectively and productively.  

3.     It is therefore our top priority to protect the health and safety of our workers, including from emerging risks that we can mitigate by being more environmentally sustainable. These three aspects: Safety, Health and Environment are captured under the acronym SHE. The efforts need to start with our workforce, by instilling strong awareness of safety, health and environmental concepts so that these can become a core part of our work processes and workplace culture. That is why the theme of this year’s convention is: “Transforming Workforce for SHE Excellence”. 

Prioritising Workplace Safety 

4.     Since 1999, LTA has organised the annual awards to recognise good practices and achievements in safety, health and environment. As our partners, you have kept safety, health and environment a top priority, including during the pandemic.

5.     We may have exited the Heightened Safety Period, but we must continue to stay vigilant and strengthen our safety practices. Since the start of 2023, there has been an uptick in workplace accidents at LTA sites – with 33 accidents in the first eight months of 2023, compared to 27 for the same period in 2022. I am also saddened by the two fatal accidents which occurred last week at two separate LTA worksites – a road maintenance site and at a North-South Corridor (NSC) construction site.    

6.     So while we are gathered here this morning to recognise the companies who have done well in SHE-related areas, I hope everyone will support my call that we must not let our guard down.  And we must continue to work together, through our tripartite partnerships between Government, employers and unions, to improve workplace safety and health for our workers.  

7.     Whenever an accident occurred, it is important to understand why it happened, and identify what steps we need to take to prevent a recurrence. This is what we will do for the two recent accidents.  There will be a thorough investigation by LTA for each accident and a review of whether there are any areas for improvement.  

8.     Importantly, we have to press on with efforts to put safety at the core of everything we do, focusing on the 3Cs of collaboration, capabilities and culture-building.

Collaboration

9.     First, close collaboration between Government, industry and unions is critical. 

10.    In May 2023, the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce (MAST) introduced a series of Safety, Accountability, Focus and Empowerment (SAFE) measures, with the aim of strengthening safety, health and environment ownership and improving accountability. One of the measures is requiring Video Surveillance System for construction projects valuing $5 million and more.

11.    These measures would not be new to many of you – we had begun using surveillance cameras at all LTA worksites to deter unsafe work practices even before MAST made its recommendations. 

12.    Besides addressing existing risks, we must also stay alert and adapt to emerging risks. Singapore’s daily mean temperature has been increasing, and we have also been seeing more intense rainfall. As our workers are often exposed to high temperature and humidity at the worksites, heat stress is a real threat that could cause serious harm to workers and increase the risk of other accidents.

13.    I strongly urge all contractors to follow the comprehensive guidelines issued by the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace, such as providing workers with mechanical aids to reduce physical workload and adopting cooling personal protective equipment.  

Capabilities

14.    Second, we must continue to invest in the skills and capabilities of our workers, as part of our workforce transformation priorities. I am encouraged by our contractors’ efforts to upskill our workforce beyond foundational safety training, tapping on technological aids like virtual reality simulators and experiential training stations. These immersive tools allow workers to familiarise themselves with ground conditions, and experience the safety hazards that they will encounter on site, so that they are better prepared to respond and protect themselves.

15.    We can make good use of technology to enhance safety. The advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has offered new opportunities for innovation. For example, one of our contractors Santarli – Zheng Keng Joint Venture has introduced AI camera sensors in blind spot monitoring equipment of telescopic handlers used to transfer materials around worksite.

Culture-Building

16.    The third element is workplace culture. It is important to build a strong culture of open reporting in our workforce, not just for incidents that happened but also near-misses which almost resulted in actual incidents. 

17.    The Workplace Safety and Health Council launched “Reporting Saves Lives” National Campaign in May, and called on employers to have a robust internal system for reporting on safety matters. 

18.    This is part of a culture where every individual at a worksite plays a part in health and safety. It is a joint, shared responsibility that requires all of us, all stakeholders to chip in and work together. Both supervisors and workers alike are empowered to call out lapses and suggest improvements. Management shows the right commitment to safety, health and environment by being aware of the hazards and knowing what to look out for when walking the ground, and giving workers the right resources to fix the problems. 

19.    Our three finalists for LTA Contractors Champion Shield will share what they have done to build a strong company-wide safety culture, and I hope all our partners can learn from one another to make your workplaces even safer.

Combating Climate Change

20.    Finally, beyond keeping our workplaces safe today, it has become increasingly urgent for us to do our part for the Environment. At the national level, Singapore has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Every industry matters when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, including the construction industry. 

21.    LTA has taken steps to develop a more sustainable construction industry. Besides specifying the use of low carbon materials in its projects, LTA also supports innovative ideas from the industry, and will give such innovation due recognition through the tender process. For example, the quality score weightage for sustainability attributes in LTA’s tender evaluation of civil projects, has been increased from two to four percentage points. Tenderers will also be awarded additional points for sustainability initiatives that are above the base requirements, such as carbon disclosure and green accreditation. 

22.    By making sustainable practices a bigger part of our work, I hope our partners and the wider construction sector in Singapore can contribute to our collective efforts towards Singapore’s net-zero goal.

Conclusion

23.    To conclude, I would like to congratulate all the award winners and finalists. I hope their examples will remind us to always pay careful attention on keeping our workplaces safe and healthy, and also inspire all of us to continue to improve and transform safety, health and environment practices in our organisations. 

24.    l wish all of you a fruitful day ahead. Thank you.