The following article was published in the Straits Times on 28 Feb 2008.
Household of three faces 41 counts of maid abuse
By ELENA CHONG, LEE PEI QI
The Straits Times
28/02/2008
Woman, husband and her mother accused of attacking maid over 3 months
THREE members of a family have been accused of attacking their maid with their bare hands, kitchen tools and even detergent and stain removers.
The employer, his wife and her mother face a total of 41 charges between them.
Housewife Loke Phooi Ling, charged in court yesterday, is said to have committed the bulk of the abuse. The 37-year-old has 32 counts of voluntarily causing hurt levelled against her.
Among other things she allegedly used a sponge to rub the maid's face and a steel wool and toilet brush to scrub her mouth.
Her husband Stanley Kuah Kian Chong, 37, faces three charges while her mother Teng Chen Lian, 66, has six. They were charged on Tuesday.
Loke, who had her hair tied up in a pony tail, was in a dark blouse and grey pants. She left the court with her husband after posting bail.
According to the charges read out in court, the abuse happened over three months from April to July last year, and took place in the family's four-room flat in Pasir Ris Drive 6. The maid, Ms Susilawati Kusnata, had worked for the family for about three months.
Neighbours said the couple have three young children.
On certain days, Loke allegedly abused her Indonesian maid up to four times, starting from 9am through to midnight. Some of the incidents occurred as early as 6.30am.
The 23-year-old maid is now with the Indonesian Embassy.
It was her first time working here, although it is not known if she was the family's first maid.
Apart from pinching, slapping, punching and kicking the maid, Loke is also said to have used kitchen utensils on her.
Items such as ladles, a spatula, a pot, a fork and spoon, a mug, a pen and a wooden chopping board were listed in court documents as the weapons used.
Loke's mother is also said to have used a pair of chopsticks to poke the maid in the back of her neck.
The husband and wife pair are also accused of using detergent on their maid.
Loke allegedly poured detergent on the maid's peeling palms a week after Kuah, a bank executive, allegedly did the same.
One charge accuses her of pouring a "super strong stain remover" liquid on the maid's leg.
It is rare in maid-abuse cases for an entire family to be accused of ill-treating their maid. In most cases, it is just one party – usually the wife.
The three are all represented by lawyer S. Radakrishnan, who asked the judge to fix the next mention on March 25.
If convicted, they can be jailed for up to 18 months or fined up to $1,500 or both, on each charge.
All three are out on $10,000 bail each. Their passports have been impounded.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LEE PEI QI
Charges
Loke Phooi Ling , 37
Beating the maid's legs and shoulder with a wooden stick
Poking her head with a blackhead remover and pen
Hitting her head with a water flask, pot, fork and spoon
Pouring a strong stain- removing liquid on her
Smacking her lips with a plastic ladle
Rubbing her face with a sponge and scrubbing her mouth with steel wool and a toilet brush
Spraying detergent onto her peeling palms
Banging her head several times against the wall
Kicking her private parts
Punching her left eye and stepping on her foot
Pulling her hair
Stanley Kuah Kian Chong, 37,
Punching her
Spraying detergent on her wounds
Pulling her hair, banging her head against the wall
Teng Chen Lian, 66,
(six charges)
Kicking her
Stepping on her thigh
Poking her with chopsticks
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Overturned vehicles involve mostly trucks with heavy loads
The following article was published by Channel NewsAsia on 25 Feb 2008.
Overturned vehicles involve mostly trucks with heavy loads
25 February 2008
Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : The MediaCorp News hotline received eight calls about accidents involving overturned vehicles, between December last year and the first week of February this year.
This compares to just two cases between October and November last year.
And these are just the numbers in our records.
Traffic Police say there are no exact figures of overturned vehicles in the past few months.
This is because only accidents with injuries or fatalities are recorded.
From the reports we received, most involved trucks carrying heavy loads.
Experts say longer vehicles like trailers and lorries carrying such loads are most at risk of overturning.
The reason is these vehicles have a higher centre of gravity.
So a normal car with just front or back two-wheel drive has a lower risk due to its lower centre of gravity. On August 23 last year, a tragic accident happened.
A foreign worker was killed when he and 13 others were flung out of a lorry, along the Pan Island Expressway after their vehicle overturned.
And when vehicles topple, it usually involves trucks and lorries carrying heavy loads.
Associate Professor Seah Kah Heng, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore, said: "The centre of gravity might be quite high because they pack the cargo, and they try to pack as much as possible. Sometimes you pack the cargo to such an extent that you are not aware that the centre of gravity has gone up so much. And it is extremely dangerous to go around the corner fast."
"When you go round a sharp corner, there's such a thing called the centrifugal force. It is a force that tends to overturn the car out of the corner.
"If you are talking about trailers, some trailers have got this hinge between the prime mover and whatever cargo you're pulling. When it turns a corner, there will be some lateral or side force pulling it sideways. So that force can also cause a vehicle to overturn."
The centrifugal force is calculated based on the mass, the velocity of the vehicle and the radius of the curve.
The sharper the turn, the greater the force will act on a vehicle if a motorist is coming down at high speed.
Based on the formula, if a motorist is driving twice as fast, he will create four times a greater centrifugal force which means he is four times more likely to have his vehicle overturn.
And braking hard while driving straight can also tip a car over.
Professor Seah said: "Sometimes the brakes right and left, front and back are not balanced, and that gives the car a certain fall sideways as well. When you brake the tyre, if the tyres are not worn out evenly, it can pull the car to one side. And that can cause overturning. If something is on the road, like causing a bump, or the road is not even. That's another possibility causing the car to overturn."
The Automobile Association of Singapore says it is crucial for motorists to check their tyres regularly.
If they are not inflated properly or they are already worn out, a motorist may lose control of your vehicle. - CNA/de
(c) 2008 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Overturned vehicles involve mostly trucks with heavy loads
25 February 2008
Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : The MediaCorp News hotline received eight calls about accidents involving overturned vehicles, between December last year and the first week of February this year.
This compares to just two cases between October and November last year.
And these are just the numbers in our records.
Traffic Police say there are no exact figures of overturned vehicles in the past few months.
This is because only accidents with injuries or fatalities are recorded.
From the reports we received, most involved trucks carrying heavy loads.
Experts say longer vehicles like trailers and lorries carrying such loads are most at risk of overturning.
The reason is these vehicles have a higher centre of gravity.
So a normal car with just front or back two-wheel drive has a lower risk due to its lower centre of gravity. On August 23 last year, a tragic accident happened.
A foreign worker was killed when he and 13 others were flung out of a lorry, along the Pan Island Expressway after their vehicle overturned.
And when vehicles topple, it usually involves trucks and lorries carrying heavy loads.
Associate Professor Seah Kah Heng, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore, said: "The centre of gravity might be quite high because they pack the cargo, and they try to pack as much as possible. Sometimes you pack the cargo to such an extent that you are not aware that the centre of gravity has gone up so much. And it is extremely dangerous to go around the corner fast."
"When you go round a sharp corner, there's such a thing called the centrifugal force. It is a force that tends to overturn the car out of the corner.
"If you are talking about trailers, some trailers have got this hinge between the prime mover and whatever cargo you're pulling. When it turns a corner, there will be some lateral or side force pulling it sideways. So that force can also cause a vehicle to overturn."
The centrifugal force is calculated based on the mass, the velocity of the vehicle and the radius of the curve.
The sharper the turn, the greater the force will act on a vehicle if a motorist is coming down at high speed.
Based on the formula, if a motorist is driving twice as fast, he will create four times a greater centrifugal force which means he is four times more likely to have his vehicle overturn.
And braking hard while driving straight can also tip a car over.
Professor Seah said: "Sometimes the brakes right and left, front and back are not balanced, and that gives the car a certain fall sideways as well. When you brake the tyre, if the tyres are not worn out evenly, it can pull the car to one side. And that can cause overturning. If something is on the road, like causing a bump, or the road is not even. That's another possibility causing the car to overturn."
The Automobile Association of Singapore says it is crucial for motorists to check their tyres regularly.
If they are not inflated properly or they are already worn out, a motorist may lose control of your vehicle. - CNA/de
(c) 2008 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Monday, February 18, 2008
Employer fined for not paying salary to her foreign maid
The following article was published by Channel NewsAsia on 18 Feb 2008.
Employer fined for not paying salary to her foreign maid
Channel NewsAsia, 18 February 2008
SINGAPORE : The employer of a foreign domestic worker has been convicted for not paying her salary in time.
Zubaidah Sanluan was fined S$4,500 and barred from employing another maid.
A subordinate court on February 11 found Zubaidah guilty of failing to pay salary arrears of S$19,398 to her foreign domestic worker, and of making a false declaration to the Controller of Work Permits.
The Manpower Ministry said its investigations in April last year showed the maid had not been paid her monthly salary since she started work in January 2001.
Further checks revealed that Zubaidah had falsely declared to paying the maid's salaries when renewing her Work Permit in January 2007.
The six years and two months worth of salary were eventually paid, with the ministry's intervention.
Under the Employment for Foreign Manpower Act, it is an offence for employers to not pay their maid within seven days of their salary period.
If found guilty, they can be fined a maximum of S$5,000 and jailed up to six months. They will also be barred from employing another foreign maid.
The ministry said three people have been convicted for such offences since 2007. It also said it helped recover more than $270,000 in unpaid salaries for 276 foreign domestic workers last year. - CNA /ls
Employer fined for not paying salary to her foreign maid
Channel NewsAsia, 18 February 2008
SINGAPORE : The employer of a foreign domestic worker has been convicted for not paying her salary in time.
Zubaidah Sanluan was fined S$4,500 and barred from employing another maid.
A subordinate court on February 11 found Zubaidah guilty of failing to pay salary arrears of S$19,398 to her foreign domestic worker, and of making a false declaration to the Controller of Work Permits.
The Manpower Ministry said its investigations in April last year showed the maid had not been paid her monthly salary since she started work in January 2001.
Further checks revealed that Zubaidah had falsely declared to paying the maid's salaries when renewing her Work Permit in January 2007.
The six years and two months worth of salary were eventually paid, with the ministry's intervention.
Under the Employment for Foreign Manpower Act, it is an offence for employers to not pay their maid within seven days of their salary period.
If found guilty, they can be fined a maximum of S$5,000 and jailed up to six months. They will also be barred from employing another foreign maid.
The ministry said three people have been convicted for such offences since 2007. It also said it helped recover more than $270,000 in unpaid salaries for 276 foreign domestic workers last year. - CNA /ls
Friday, February 15, 2008
The grass is always greener: Dining out in Singapore, chances are the waiters will all be Nepali students on internships
The following article was published in the Nepali Times on 15 Feb 2008.
The grass is always greener: Dining out in Singapore, chances are the waiters will all be Nepali students on internships
By SHEERE NG IN SINGAPORE
Nepali Times, 15 February 2008
February 15 (Nepali Times) - Krishna sits quietly in a corner, earnestly taking down notes written on the board. Together with him are 20 other Nepali students paying close attention to their lecturer.
It seems like an ordinary class on an ordinary school day, except that he is at least a decade older than his classmates, and the setting is 5,000km away from his home in Nepal. The 37-year-old flew to Singapore a year ago and has spent a total of Rs 350,000 in order to study hotel management in a private school here.
The number of Nepalis studying tourism and other related subjects in Singapore has continued to increase in recent years. The country is particularly a popular study destination for Nepalis because many of its colleges issue internationally-recognised certificates, which make it easier to apply for further studies in Europe and North America than if they applied straight from Nepal.
Singapore also has an abundance of employment opportunities and a relatively good average wage. Tourism courses are especially popular because they offer both the chance to get a good qualification and, as they include On the Job Training (OFT), the opportunity to work and earn money.
Most tourism students on OJT earn about Rs 260 per hour as waiters at restaurants and hotels. Even though this money can only offset part of the large expenses they incur in coming to Singapore, most see the hardship as worth bearing for the prospect of a brighter future.
Mani Prasad, a student at the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore, says: “My parents have made a big investment to help me be financially independent.” He is working as a trainee but finds it harder than he expected to meet his everyday expenses.
Together with his cousin, he rents a room at Little India hostel in central Singapore. Besides them, there are more than 20 other Nepali students staying in the hostel, with three to five of them crowded into each room. He can’t afford to go out very much, so to pass the time he stays in the room and watches DVDs. He’s not sure what he should do next: “I might take another course, go to another country or head back home. Nothing is fixed yet,” he says.
Binod, another hotel management student, studied mass communications in Nepal and aspires to be a journalist. Currently working as a waiter on his OJT period, he has applied to study journalism at another school after his course finishes. If his application is successful, he will be one step closer to his dream, but he will also have to fork out another large sum of money for the school fees. When asked if he would return to Nepal, he nods his head without hesitation. “But only when I have name and fame,” he adds.
Many Nepalis in Singapore have spent most or all of their savings to come here. Krishna had originally wanted to go to the US or Canada but despite the fact he holds a degree from Tribhuban University, both his applications were rejected. Singapore was a more reachable destination for someone of his means.
“My friends said Singapore has many hotels, easier to find a job,” he says. Having faced many difficulties to make ends meet as a student, he has now managed to secure a work permit to begin after his course, which will allow him to work full-time and earn between Rs 50,000-65,000 per month.
He is currently satisfied with his situation, but he still hasn’t forgotten his dream: to try again for America or Canada. But his life-plan, like many other Nepalis in Singapore for now, is to stay put until the chance comes up to move to greener pastures.
The grass is always greener: Dining out in Singapore, chances are the waiters will all be Nepali students on internships
By SHEERE NG IN SINGAPORE
Nepali Times, 15 February 2008
February 15 (Nepali Times) - Krishna sits quietly in a corner, earnestly taking down notes written on the board. Together with him are 20 other Nepali students paying close attention to their lecturer.
It seems like an ordinary class on an ordinary school day, except that he is at least a decade older than his classmates, and the setting is 5,000km away from his home in Nepal. The 37-year-old flew to Singapore a year ago and has spent a total of Rs 350,000 in order to study hotel management in a private school here.
The number of Nepalis studying tourism and other related subjects in Singapore has continued to increase in recent years. The country is particularly a popular study destination for Nepalis because many of its colleges issue internationally-recognised certificates, which make it easier to apply for further studies in Europe and North America than if they applied straight from Nepal.
Singapore also has an abundance of employment opportunities and a relatively good average wage. Tourism courses are especially popular because they offer both the chance to get a good qualification and, as they include On the Job Training (OFT), the opportunity to work and earn money.
Most tourism students on OJT earn about Rs 260 per hour as waiters at restaurants and hotels. Even though this money can only offset part of the large expenses they incur in coming to Singapore, most see the hardship as worth bearing for the prospect of a brighter future.
Mani Prasad, a student at the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore, says: “My parents have made a big investment to help me be financially independent.” He is working as a trainee but finds it harder than he expected to meet his everyday expenses.
Together with his cousin, he rents a room at Little India hostel in central Singapore. Besides them, there are more than 20 other Nepali students staying in the hostel, with three to five of them crowded into each room. He can’t afford to go out very much, so to pass the time he stays in the room and watches DVDs. He’s not sure what he should do next: “I might take another course, go to another country or head back home. Nothing is fixed yet,” he says.
Binod, another hotel management student, studied mass communications in Nepal and aspires to be a journalist. Currently working as a waiter on his OJT period, he has applied to study journalism at another school after his course finishes. If his application is successful, he will be one step closer to his dream, but he will also have to fork out another large sum of money for the school fees. When asked if he would return to Nepal, he nods his head without hesitation. “But only when I have name and fame,” he adds.
Many Nepalis in Singapore have spent most or all of their savings to come here. Krishna had originally wanted to go to the US or Canada but despite the fact he holds a degree from Tribhuban University, both his applications were rejected. Singapore was a more reachable destination for someone of his means.
“My friends said Singapore has many hotels, easier to find a job,” he says. Having faced many difficulties to make ends meet as a student, he has now managed to secure a work permit to begin after his course, which will allow him to work full-time and earn between Rs 50,000-65,000 per month.
He is currently satisfied with his situation, but he still hasn’t forgotten his dream: to try again for America or Canada. But his life-plan, like many other Nepalis in Singapore for now, is to stay put until the chance comes up to move to greener pastures.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Safety is top priority as work starts on $12b Downtown Line
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 13 Feb 2008.
Safety is top priority as work starts on $12b Downtown Line
By CHRISTOPHER TAN
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
The Straits Times
13/02/2008
LTA determined to avoid mishaps; work involves excavations in built-up areas
WORK officially began yesterday on Singapore's next MRT project, the 40km Downtown Line.
The $12 billion line is among $40 billion worth of rail projects scheduled to be rolled out by 2020. These include the Thomson Line, joining Woodlands to Marina Bay, and the Eastern Region Line, connecting Changi to Marina Bay via Marine Parade.
Amid the flurry of building, which will involve excavating in densely built-up areas, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that it was determined to keep worksite mishaps to a minimum.
At a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to mark the start of the work on the Downtown Line, LTA chairman Michael Lim said that safety will be a top priority.
He said the LTA's safety record had improved dramatically in recent years.
In 2003, the authority lost 252 man-days per million man-hours, an industry method to measure the severity of accidents. The total included construction on the Circle Line and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).
In 2004, the LTA's safety record took a dive when a Circle Line station collapsed, killing four workers. That year, the LTA lost 1,049 man-days per million man-hours spent.
After the disaster, the Government issued a series of stricter construction standards, especially for underground projects.
It prompted the LTA to review all its work on the Circle Line and the KPE. In one instance, the partly excavated Dakota station near Guillemard Road was filled in and rebuilt. The review cost tens of millions and has delayed the completion of the line.
The new rules, however, led to a dramatic improvement in the LTA's safety record. Last year, its accident rate dropped to 49 man-days lost per million man-hours.
The construction industry is well aware of the safety culture. Mr Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association, said: "Current safety requirements are well understood in recently tendered contracts. These contracts would have taken into account these safety requirements and the contractors would be able to work with the LTA to complete the projects on time."
Mr Lim said that the LTA was also aware of the social and business disruptions that the MRT works would create. It was especially mindful of this in Chinatown, which saw massive excavations for the North-East Line in the 1990s.
Construction of the Downtown Line's Chinatown station would be less disruptive and would allow the traffic above to continue to flow, he said.
Safety is top priority as work starts on $12b Downtown Line
By CHRISTOPHER TAN
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
The Straits Times
13/02/2008
LTA determined to avoid mishaps; work involves excavations in built-up areas
WORK officially began yesterday on Singapore's next MRT project, the 40km Downtown Line.
The $12 billion line is among $40 billion worth of rail projects scheduled to be rolled out by 2020. These include the Thomson Line, joining Woodlands to Marina Bay, and the Eastern Region Line, connecting Changi to Marina Bay via Marine Parade.
Amid the flurry of building, which will involve excavating in densely built-up areas, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that it was determined to keep worksite mishaps to a minimum.
At a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to mark the start of the work on the Downtown Line, LTA chairman Michael Lim said that safety will be a top priority.
He said the LTA's safety record had improved dramatically in recent years.
In 2003, the authority lost 252 man-days per million man-hours, an industry method to measure the severity of accidents. The total included construction on the Circle Line and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).
In 2004, the LTA's safety record took a dive when a Circle Line station collapsed, killing four workers. That year, the LTA lost 1,049 man-days per million man-hours spent.
After the disaster, the Government issued a series of stricter construction standards, especially for underground projects.
It prompted the LTA to review all its work on the Circle Line and the KPE. In one instance, the partly excavated Dakota station near Guillemard Road was filled in and rebuilt. The review cost tens of millions and has delayed the completion of the line.
The new rules, however, led to a dramatic improvement in the LTA's safety record. Last year, its accident rate dropped to 49 man-days lost per million man-hours.
The construction industry is well aware of the safety culture. Mr Simon Lee, executive director of the Singapore Contractors Association, said: "Current safety requirements are well understood in recently tendered contracts. These contracts would have taken into account these safety requirements and the contractors would be able to work with the LTA to complete the projects on time."
Mr Lim said that the LTA was also aware of the social and business disruptions that the MRT works would create. It was especially mindful of this in Chinatown, which saw massive excavations for the North-East Line in the 1990s.
Construction of the Downtown Line's Chinatown station would be less disruptive and would allow the traffic above to continue to flow, he said.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Another fatal shipyard accident
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 16 August 2008.
Another fatal shipyard accident
By JERMYN CHOW
The Straits Times
16/08/2008
Indian national's death raises tally of industry's fatalities to nine since June
THE death toll in Singapore's beleaguered shipyard industry continues to climb as another worker died yesterday, bringing the tally to nine since June.
Indian national Sathiyamoorthy Siva is believed to have fallen into a 21m-deep water tank on a Japanese-registered oil tanker.
The 21-year-old was last seen by fellow workers yesterday morning on the deck of the Eneos Breeze carrying an air hose, which was being used to repair the water tank.
His body was found at 8am at the bottom of the tank.
The ship was undergoing repairs at the Keppel Shipyard in Tuas.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said investigations are ongoing, but preliminary findings show that Mr Sathiyamoorthy's work did not require him to enter the tank.
In the meantime, the ministry has stopped all work onboard the Eneos Breeze.
Mr Sathiyamoorthy was working for a subcontractor at Keppel Shipyard, one of the world's largest shipbuilding and repair companies.
The subcontractor, Harvest Marine Service, is based in the shipyard.
Mr Sathiyamoorthy's manager, known only as Mr Ganesan, told The Straits Times that the victim was not married and his family was in India.
His co-workers did not know much about him. He was said to be a quiet man who kept to himself.
His death yesterday came just over a month after safety officials urged shipyards to call an unprecedented "time-out" from work to review safety procedures.
Besides the nine deaths, 18 other workers have been hurt in the past 11 weeks.
The run of deaths and injuries comes at a time when the shipping sector is booming.
Last year, the marine and offshore industry rang in $13.05 billion in total output, a 33 per cent jump from 2006.
Safety officials are still fanning across the island to carry out spot checks on the 89 shipyards here.
Next month, the Workplace Safety and Health Council will organise a forum for more than 300 shipyard managers and safety experts to raise safety standards – the second since last month.
Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said that he will focus on making companies work harder to pass the message down to "every single worker".
Mr Lee added: "It is clear that top management in shipyards needs to emphasise that safety is not to be compromised.
"True commitment must translate into action on the ground and a real improvement in safety practices."
Another fatal shipyard accident
By JERMYN CHOW
The Straits Times
16/08/2008
Indian national's death raises tally of industry's fatalities to nine since June
THE death toll in Singapore's beleaguered shipyard industry continues to climb as another worker died yesterday, bringing the tally to nine since June.
Indian national Sathiyamoorthy Siva is believed to have fallen into a 21m-deep water tank on a Japanese-registered oil tanker.
The 21-year-old was last seen by fellow workers yesterday morning on the deck of the Eneos Breeze carrying an air hose, which was being used to repair the water tank.
His body was found at 8am at the bottom of the tank.
The ship was undergoing repairs at the Keppel Shipyard in Tuas.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said investigations are ongoing, but preliminary findings show that Mr Sathiyamoorthy's work did not require him to enter the tank.
In the meantime, the ministry has stopped all work onboard the Eneos Breeze.
Mr Sathiyamoorthy was working for a subcontractor at Keppel Shipyard, one of the world's largest shipbuilding and repair companies.
The subcontractor, Harvest Marine Service, is based in the shipyard.
Mr Sathiyamoorthy's manager, known only as Mr Ganesan, told The Straits Times that the victim was not married and his family was in India.
His co-workers did not know much about him. He was said to be a quiet man who kept to himself.
His death yesterday came just over a month after safety officials urged shipyards to call an unprecedented "time-out" from work to review safety procedures.
Besides the nine deaths, 18 other workers have been hurt in the past 11 weeks.
The run of deaths and injuries comes at a time when the shipping sector is booming.
Last year, the marine and offshore industry rang in $13.05 billion in total output, a 33 per cent jump from 2006.
Safety officials are still fanning across the island to carry out spot checks on the 89 shipyards here.
Next month, the Workplace Safety and Health Council will organise a forum for more than 300 shipyard managers and safety experts to raise safety standards – the second since last month.
Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said that he will focus on making companies work harder to pass the message down to "every single worker".
Mr Lee added: "It is clear that top management in shipyards needs to emphasise that safety is not to be compromised.
"True commitment must translate into action on the ground and a real improvement in safety practices."
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Towards first-rate workplace safety
The following article was published in the Straits Times on 2 May 2008.
Towards first-rate workplace safety
The Straits Times
02/05/2008
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the launch of the Workplace Safety and Health Council on Tuesday. Here is an excerpt of his address.
WE INHERITED our safety framework and legislation from the British, and made piecemeal changes to it over the years. But as our economy grew and needs evolved, there was no fundamental review to keep the system updated.
Our safety standards stagnated and accident rates remained higher than they should. There was a continuing steady flow of workplace accidents. Most were small, but each time somebody was maimed or killed, the numbers added up. And every now and again, a high-profile accident would hit the news – scaffolding collapses at a construction site, an explosion at a shipyard doing hot repair works, and in 2004 the Nicoll Highway tunnel cave-in.
Each time something happened, it was a tragedy for the worker and his family. We felt bad if it was a Singaporean worker. But even more so if it was a foreign worker, who had come all the way here at considerable expense to earn a living and support his dependants back home, but whose efforts to improve his life had instead ended in disaster for himself and his family. And many of these accidents involved foreign workers, because our safety record in construction was particularly wanting. This was on our conscience, and we needed to move quickly to make significant improvements.
We looked at the developed countries and found that the thinking on workplace safety and health had advanced dramatically. For example the British, on whom our legislation was based, had long moved on. They had evolved new principles and legislation to cope with changing practices, allocated proper responsibilities for risks at workplaces, and promoted a pervasive safety culture amongst employers and workers. Over a period of time, they had succeeded in dramatically reducing their workplace accident and fatality rates. Others like France, Germany and the US had achieved similar successes.
We looked at employers with excellent safety records. All of them took safety very seriously, and made it a command responsibility. It was not just the job of the safety officers, but of the CEO himself. For example, many MNCs had brought in advanced safety and health management systems, which they implemented in their Singapore operations. Even though they had to deal with large numbers of foreign workers, with different languages and work customs, they were able to instil good safety habits in every individual through intensive training and drilling. Safety consciousness was not just for workers, but had to be part of every level of command.
We also looked at our own SAF, which had over many years made an enormous effort to reduce vehicle and training accidents. They had worked out elaborate precautions and systems – water parades before strenuous training to prevent heat exhaustion, lightning monitoring and warning systems to minimise the risk of lightning strike, driving simulators to train national servicemen to drive safely. It took time and effort, but over the years the SAF has succeeded in bringing accident rates down.
We learnt from all of these experts, and did a complete overhaul of our safety system. We totally revamped the legislative framework with a new Workplace Safety and Health Act in 2005, and began a major programme to plug the systemic gaps and fix the shortcomings. From time to time, accidents would still occur, and we would have to deal with them. But we had developed an effective framework, with clear principles for safety management.
This would keep accident rates to a minimum, not just by responding to accidents when they occur, but by designing safety into the work processes, and pro-actively detecting and fixing unsafe practices before accidents happen.
An integral part of this new framework is the setting up of the Workplace Safety and Health Council. Workplace safety systems around the world have shown that better safety outcomes can only be achieved if all stakeholders are fully engaged.
The Council is therefore an important initiative, and I am glad that Shell Companies in Singapore chairman Lee Tzu Yang has agreed to chair it, with broad representation from employers, professional associations and the unions.
The first significant function the Council will take on is the setting of safety standards. In carrying out this function, it must be guided not by what is expedient, but by what is necessary and practical to achieve our national safety goals. Industry leaders serving on the Council have intimate knowledge about the operational challenges in each industry, and the safety procedures and requirements needed to respond to specific hazards.
Second, the Council will play a leading role in building new capabilities for workforce safety and health. For a start, it has worked with Workforce Development Agency to put in place a skills qualifications framework for workplace safety and health, leading to formal recognition of specific skills and competencies. Today, more than 50 students will graduate with Specialist Diplomas in workplace safety and health from our
polytechnics. For adult workers, we will be establishing a dedicated Continuing Education and Training institute in workplace safety and health. The institute will not just be a training provider, but also a centre for research, and a platform for collaboration between academia and industry.
The biggest challenge for the Council lies in its third area of responsibility – outreach, engagement and ultimately, changing mindsets. To bring about a quantum improvement in our safety and health outcomes, every individual must take ownership of safety issues and see this as his own responsibility.
We must convince employers that a safe and healthy workplace makes good business sense. Workplace injuries and fatalities can result in not only financial expense, but also loss of reputation. A safe workplace environment and good safety record will give workers confidence that the firm has their well-being at heart, and motivate them to perform that much better.
I am encouraged that our efforts are already starting to show results. In 2004, accidents at the workplace resulted in the loss of 83 lives or 4.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2007, we brought the fatality rate down to 2.9. We should build on this achievement, and do even better. Our original aim had been to halve the workplace fatality rate to 2.5 by 2015. This looks well within reach. I think we should set a more ambitious goal, to reduce the rate to 1.8 within a decade.
We should aim not only for as good a safety record as the developed countries, but to have one of the best workplace safety records in the world.
AIM HIGHER
In 2004, accidents at the workplace resulted in the loss of 83 lives or 4.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2007, we brought the fatality rate down to 2.9. We should build on this achievement, and do even better. Our original aim had been to halve the workplace fatality rate to 2.5 by 2015. This looks well within reach. I think we should set a more ambitious goal, to reduce the rate to 1.8 within a decade.
Towards first-rate workplace safety
The Straits Times
02/05/2008
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the launch of the Workplace Safety and Health Council on Tuesday. Here is an excerpt of his address.
WE INHERITED our safety framework and legislation from the British, and made piecemeal changes to it over the years. But as our economy grew and needs evolved, there was no fundamental review to keep the system updated.
Our safety standards stagnated and accident rates remained higher than they should. There was a continuing steady flow of workplace accidents. Most were small, but each time somebody was maimed or killed, the numbers added up. And every now and again, a high-profile accident would hit the news – scaffolding collapses at a construction site, an explosion at a shipyard doing hot repair works, and in 2004 the Nicoll Highway tunnel cave-in.
Each time something happened, it was a tragedy for the worker and his family. We felt bad if it was a Singaporean worker. But even more so if it was a foreign worker, who had come all the way here at considerable expense to earn a living and support his dependants back home, but whose efforts to improve his life had instead ended in disaster for himself and his family. And many of these accidents involved foreign workers, because our safety record in construction was particularly wanting. This was on our conscience, and we needed to move quickly to make significant improvements.
We looked at the developed countries and found that the thinking on workplace safety and health had advanced dramatically. For example the British, on whom our legislation was based, had long moved on. They had evolved new principles and legislation to cope with changing practices, allocated proper responsibilities for risks at workplaces, and promoted a pervasive safety culture amongst employers and workers. Over a period of time, they had succeeded in dramatically reducing their workplace accident and fatality rates. Others like France, Germany and the US had achieved similar successes.
We looked at employers with excellent safety records. All of them took safety very seriously, and made it a command responsibility. It was not just the job of the safety officers, but of the CEO himself. For example, many MNCs had brought in advanced safety and health management systems, which they implemented in their Singapore operations. Even though they had to deal with large numbers of foreign workers, with different languages and work customs, they were able to instil good safety habits in every individual through intensive training and drilling. Safety consciousness was not just for workers, but had to be part of every level of command.
We also looked at our own SAF, which had over many years made an enormous effort to reduce vehicle and training accidents. They had worked out elaborate precautions and systems – water parades before strenuous training to prevent heat exhaustion, lightning monitoring and warning systems to minimise the risk of lightning strike, driving simulators to train national servicemen to drive safely. It took time and effort, but over the years the SAF has succeeded in bringing accident rates down.
We learnt from all of these experts, and did a complete overhaul of our safety system. We totally revamped the legislative framework with a new Workplace Safety and Health Act in 2005, and began a major programme to plug the systemic gaps and fix the shortcomings. From time to time, accidents would still occur, and we would have to deal with them. But we had developed an effective framework, with clear principles for safety management.
This would keep accident rates to a minimum, not just by responding to accidents when they occur, but by designing safety into the work processes, and pro-actively detecting and fixing unsafe practices before accidents happen.
An integral part of this new framework is the setting up of the Workplace Safety and Health Council. Workplace safety systems around the world have shown that better safety outcomes can only be achieved if all stakeholders are fully engaged.
The Council is therefore an important initiative, and I am glad that Shell Companies in Singapore chairman Lee Tzu Yang has agreed to chair it, with broad representation from employers, professional associations and the unions.
The first significant function the Council will take on is the setting of safety standards. In carrying out this function, it must be guided not by what is expedient, but by what is necessary and practical to achieve our national safety goals. Industry leaders serving on the Council have intimate knowledge about the operational challenges in each industry, and the safety procedures and requirements needed to respond to specific hazards.
Second, the Council will play a leading role in building new capabilities for workforce safety and health. For a start, it has worked with Workforce Development Agency to put in place a skills qualifications framework for workplace safety and health, leading to formal recognition of specific skills and competencies. Today, more than 50 students will graduate with Specialist Diplomas in workplace safety and health from our
polytechnics. For adult workers, we will be establishing a dedicated Continuing Education and Training institute in workplace safety and health. The institute will not just be a training provider, but also a centre for research, and a platform for collaboration between academia and industry.
The biggest challenge for the Council lies in its third area of responsibility – outreach, engagement and ultimately, changing mindsets. To bring about a quantum improvement in our safety and health outcomes, every individual must take ownership of safety issues and see this as his own responsibility.
We must convince employers that a safe and healthy workplace makes good business sense. Workplace injuries and fatalities can result in not only financial expense, but also loss of reputation. A safe workplace environment and good safety record will give workers confidence that the firm has their well-being at heart, and motivate them to perform that much better.
I am encouraged that our efforts are already starting to show results. In 2004, accidents at the workplace resulted in the loss of 83 lives or 4.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2007, we brought the fatality rate down to 2.9. We should build on this achievement, and do even better. Our original aim had been to halve the workplace fatality rate to 2.5 by 2015. This looks well within reach. I think we should set a more ambitious goal, to reduce the rate to 1.8 within a decade.
We should aim not only for as good a safety record as the developed countries, but to have one of the best workplace safety records in the world.
AIM HIGHER
In 2004, accidents at the workplace resulted in the loss of 83 lives or 4.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In 2007, we brought the fatality rate down to 2.9. We should build on this achievement, and do even better. Our original aim had been to halve the workplace fatality rate to 2.5 by 2015. This looks well within reach. I think we should set a more ambitious goal, to reduce the rate to 1.8 within a decade.
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