Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, at the SBS Transit Rail Safety Symposium

Mr Melvin Yong, Assistant Secretary General of NTUC and Executive Secretary of NTWU

Mr Ng Lang, Chief Executive of the Land Transport Authority

Mr Jeffrey Sim, Group CEO of SBS Transit

Mr Dave Ng, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council (Logistics and Transport) Committee

Mr Christopher Koh, General Manager, Workplace Safety and Health Council

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1.     Good afternoon. Thank you to SBS Transit for organising this inaugural Rail Safety Symposium, to raise awareness of the importance of workplace safety, especially in an industry like public transport which provides an essential service to all Singaporeans.

2.     Keeping our transport workers safe is critical, because they play an indispensable part in moving millions of commuters safely and smoothly every day. Ours is a tough sector, and their work exposes them to many risks and hazards. Their safety must be our top priority.

The Need for Safety Culture in Workplaces

3.     We cannot allow difficult tasks and challenging conditions – such as high temperatures and humidity, heavy equipment and tools – to make working in the transport sector unsafe. Unfortunately, in the first half of this year, there were five fatalities reported by the Ministry of Manpower under the Transportation and Storage Industry, which puts this sector in the second highest rank for the number of workplace fatalities. Since the start of this year till September, there has been 69 cases of workplace injuries in both bus and rail operations. This is a 15% increase compared to the 60 workplace injuries in 2022. These figures are a key area of concern, as any incident is one incident too many.

4.     Many of these incidents are preventable. Major injuries from machinery accidents caused by a lack of machine guarding, or because suitable tools were not available, are entirely avoidable, had the necessary safety precautions been taken. We can also do more to prevent falls from height, or the collapse or failure of structure and equipment, such as with adequate fall prevention measures and strict adherence to safety guidelines.

5.     These efforts start with inculcating a robust workplace safety culture, where all public transport workers put their own safety and their co-workers’ safety at the forefront of everything that they do. Workers must be empowered to improve safety processes, call out risks and hazards, and prevent potential injuries or fatalities.

SBS Transit’s Efforts in Developing Workplace Safety Culture

6.     As a member of the Multi-Agency Safety Taskforce, I am heartened that SBS Transit is championing this in the public transport sector. You have established a comprehensive, multi-year plan to promote and encourage your workers to take charge of their own safety and well-being. You have also put in place rigorous safety protocols and systems, backed by strong leadership support, and management alignment in promoting a culture of safety.

7.     I also applaud SBS Transit’s efforts in going further, to tap on technology to enhance the safety of their workers and commuters. From a wearable mechanical exoskeleton to protect workers who are executing physically demanding tasks to trialling an advanced system to monitor trackside conditions and driver attentiveness, you have consistently raised the bar on safety by embracing innovative solutions to address the challenges of our workplaces. I look forward to seeing some of your transformative technologies at the symposium today, and I encourage participants to think about how such technologies can apply to your own workplaces as well.

Workplace Safety at the Organisation Level

8.     Beyond leveraging technologies or compliance with safety regulations, embedding a strong safety culture into an organisation requires commitment and dedication at all levels. To this end, I would like to share three key points for companies to consider when developing a workplace safety culture:

a.     First, facilitating open communication. Safety must be the responsibility of every person in the organisation. It is important that workers feel comfortable to report unsafe conditions, ask for clarifications when protocols are unclear, and to provide their suggestions for improvements to workplace practices. In line with this, the Workplace Safety and Health Council launched the “Reporting Saves Lives” National Campaign in May this year. This campaign encourages companies to have an internal reporting system where both workers and management are receptive to giving and receiving feedback on safety issues. I encourage all employers in our sector to take this important step.

b.     Second, adopting a proactive approach. Reacting to hazards and risks only after an accident has occurred is too late. By proactively identifying and mitigating hazards and risks, we can stop incidents from taking place, and keep our workers from getting hurt in the course of their work. This starts with simple steps, such as ensuring that our work areas are clutter-free. We can make our workplaces and work practices safe by design, so that in their day-to-day work, our workers feel confident and can focus on their tasks.

c.     Third, cultivating a shared sense of responsibility. While it is important to have dedicated safety officers to take charge of protocols, the responsibility for keeping workplaces safe cannot rest on them alone. Safety must be seen as the joint responsibility of every worker and leader.

9.     I encourage every company to nurture the right mindset at every level, and for leaders to model the right behaviour and put safety at the heart of all you do.

Responsibility of Workers in Ensuring Their Own Safety

10.    On this last point, I would like to speak more about the role of workers and management.

11.    Each and every worker has a role in ensuring their workplace is kept safe. This is something you must do proactively. Stay vigilant to potential hazards, but don’t just keep the hazards you see to yourselves. Share them with others and with management, and take steps to mitigate them immediately. You know your work best, and you are best placed to suggest improvements.

12.    A few months ago, I shared the example of a potential fall hazard that was identified by staff working on train doors in SBS Transit. The team did not just call out the hazard, they went on to develop a platform they can use when performing train door maintenance, to reduce the risk of falling. This is a great example of a strong safety culture in action.

Understanding the Management’s Role in a Safety Culture

13.    And for management, I hope our employers and leaders see the value of a strong safety culture. This is not just a matter of compliance with rules, and minimising costs. A company-wide safety culture instills in workers the confidence that they are protected and secure as they go about their daily work, which in turn translates to better morale, performance and productivity.

14.    If you fully imbibe this mindset, all management and supervisors will naturally show a genuine commitment to the health and safety of their workers. You will also make investments in resources, and in the engagement of your workforce.

a.     Management will invest the effort to create direct, two-way channels through which safety policies and expectations can be communicated to workers, and feedback and suggestions shared with management.

b.     Workers should also be given sufficient training to ensure they are kept updated on safety standards and procedures, especially those that can minimise the risk of more hazardous tasks like working at height.

c.     Companies will also invest in the appropriate machinery, tools and equipment, and to upkeep them in good working condition, with the necessary safety features in place.

d.     Management will also place strong emphasis on regular risk assessments and inspections, and make all the necessary measures to bring down risk by as much as possible.

Role of Unions – A Balancing Factor

15.    Complementing the efforts of our workers and employers are our unions. Unions also play an essential part in an organisation’s safety culture, by helping to ensure that the workers’ interests, well-being and safety rights are well protected. In the transport sector, the National Transport Workers’ Union is the bridge between our workers and our public transport operators. I encourage NTWU and union representatives to continue surfacing safety concerns, and to work hand-in-hand with both workers and management to jointly develop and implement safety initiatives in our various workplaces.

16.    As the umbrella organisation representing transport workers, NTWU can also be a conduit for safety practices to be shared across the sector. We can harness the vigilance and ingenuity of our entire workforce to mitigate common risks and hazards, and ensure that any painful lessons that are learnt need only be learnt once. Let’s all cooperate and invite each other to platforms like this to share our best practices and ideas; this is very important and critical.

Concluding Remarks

17.    An effective workplace safety culture is not a destination, but a journey. It does not happen overnight, and it will take time for the organisation and our sector as a whole to learn, adapt and continually build up an environment where safety is everyone’s business, at all times. It is an ongoing mission that requires all workers, management and the union to work together to create a safer workplace, so that everyone returns home safely each day.

18.    Today’s session is another step on this journey, and I urge all participants today to use this opportunity to recommit to safety, and to strengthen our understanding to build a strong workplace safety culture, and improve work processes. Let’s work together to make safety a norm in the public transport sector as one team.

19.    I wish you all a fruitful and meaningful symposium. Thank you.