SINGAPORE – Mandatory safety time-outs for companies in high-risk industries and those using heavy vehicles need to be extended to more sectors, Labor MP Melvin Yong said.
He said the labor movement welcomed the mandatory safety timeouts and other measures announced Thursday to curb the rise in workplace casualties, but more needs to be done to prevent safety lapses. He added that it should be done.
All parties, from company management and workers to unions, subcontractors and suppliers, should be involved in the review of safety systems and processes conducted during safety timeouts, he said in a Facebook post. said in
Regardless of safety records, these companies should hire external auditors to conduct these safety audits, added the assistant secretary-general of the National Trade Union Congress.
He also called on companies to set up workplace safety committees with workers or union representatives to track workplace safety and health (WSH) performance and implement relevant measures. rice field.
This includes setting up reporting channels and assuring workers that there will be no retaliation for whistleblowing.
Asked at a press conference if ministers were confident the new measures would be effective, Senior State Minister for Manpower Zakie Mohammad said the new measures would not only be enforced but also improve safety culture for businesses and workers. It also makes you think about how to do it, he said. here.
“Not just sticks, but carrots as well,” Zaki said.
He added that the six-month enhanced safety period imposed by the MOM until February next year is a time for businesses to reflect on how they treat workers and keep them safe.
Zaqy said the change in work tempo after Covid-19 could be one of the reasons for the spate of worker deaths in recent times, noting that the deaths occurred in different sectors and settings.
But the common factor is that each of them involved a simple violation of safety protocol.
“I may have lost muscle memory to some extent,” he added.
“We have a lot of sympathy for companies trying to adapt, trying to get new business. .So we understand the ground changes…
“This is a work in progress, so everyone has to adjust their timelines, pace and tempo,” Zaqy said.
