Major injuries up despite heightened safety period

Fewer workplace deaths but MOM mulling over extension as areas of concern remain

- Jean Iau

The number of major injuries has risen despite the six-month heightened safety period introduced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in September 2022, which suggests that safety issues continue to be prevalent here.

There was an average of 49.1 major injuries per month from January to August 2022, compared with 55.3 such incidents between September and December, MOM said in figures released on Thursday.

And while there have been fewer workplace fatalities in recent months, MOM is considering whether to extend the heightened safety period beyond end-February, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.

There were 1.6 1.6 workplace deaths per 100,000 workers prior to the imposition of the stricter safety measures, during which firms with serious lapses that lead to severe or fatal accidents are barred from hiring new foreign workers for up to three moths.

The fatality rate fell to 0.9 deaths per 100,000 workers from September to December, bringing the overall fatality rate for 2022 to 1.3 deaths per 100,000 workers. There were 46 workplace deaths in 2022, the highest number recorded since 2016 when 66 people died.