STRATEGY 4Develop Strong Partnerships Locally and Internationally

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STRATEGY 4

COLLABORATION ON THE LOCAL FRONTOn the local front, there were many opportunities for the government to collaborate and synergise with key stakeholder

groups in various sectors to drive workplace safety and health (WSH) improvement.

Members of SPRING’s Technical Committees and Workgroups on WSH Standard DevelopmentSpecialist staff from the

Occupational Safety and Health

Division (OSHD) participated in

various SPRING Singapore Technical

Workgroups to develop and review

WSH-related Singapore Standards

(SS). The Standards which serve

as a benchmark to assess whether

reasonable practicable measures

have been taken with regards to

maintaining WSH standards at

workplaces. Upon completion of

the Standards, speakers from MOM

were invited to share on relevant

safety topics related to the specific

standards at the launching seminar

organised by SPRING Singapore.

For instance, on 11 July 2012, during the Seminar on Singapore Standards for Personal Safety & Health and Safe Use of

Equipment, SPRING Singapore launched the following 2 standards which OSHD staff had actively participated in the review:

SS 473 Standard Series comprising

SS473: 2011 Part 1 : Specification for Personal Eye Protector - General Requirements

SS473: 2011 Part 2 : Specification for Personal Eye Protector - Selection Use and Maintenance

SS 497:2011 Code of Practice for Design, Safe Use and Maintenance of Gantry Cranes, Overhead Travelling Cranes

and Monorail Hoists;

SS 573: 2012 Code of Practice for Safe Use of Powered Counterbalanced Forklifts.

For the Seminar, the Deputy Director of the OSH Specialist Department, Er. Ismadi Mohd, was invited to present a paper on

“Legislative Requirement Relating to Overhead Travelling Cranes, Gantry Cranes and Monorail Hoists and Powered

Counterbalanced Forklifts”.

Honorary Researchers

Mr Tan Kia Tang (MOM)

Dr Kenneth Choy (MOM)

Appointment of Honorary Fellows and ResearchersThe WSH Institute has appointed 4 eminent WSH proponents to be the Institute’s Honorary Fellows and Honorary Researchers.

These appointees will participate in the research work of the Institute, encourage and nurture WSH research among the

students and graduates of the Institutions of Higher Learning, and also provide expert knowledge on various specialised

fields.

Honorary Fellows

A/Prof Leong Kah Fai (NTU)

A/Prof David Chua (NUS)

Designing for SafetyThe WSH Institute proposed to the Department of Architecture from the National University of Singapore (NUS) for their

undergraduate students to develop new safe tentage designs. The resulting collaboration saw interesting designs for

consideration by the tentage industry. For the students, they benefited from greater awareness of safety considerations

when designing building structures.

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STRATEGY 4

ASIA Europe Meeting Symposium on Developing a Preventive Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Culture, SingaporeSingapore and France, in co-operation with the European Commission, organised the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) OSH

Symposium on Developing a Preventive OSH Culture at the York Hotel Singapore on 10-11 September 2012. The Symposium,

graced by the Guest of Honour, Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health and Manpower, was attended by 62 senior officials

of Labour and Employment ministries of ASEM partners, representatives from international and regional organisations such

as ILO, IALI, ASEAN-OSHNET, and social partners such as ITUC, ETUC, ASETUC, SLIC.

The symposium enabled participants to strengthen their understanding on developing an OSH culture in SMEs across the

two regions and facilitated cross learning of experiences. Both the European and Asian government representatives shared

their perspectives of the regulator’s role in developing OSH Culture in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition,

there was sharing from companies’ and tripartite partners’ perspectives. The companies shared the ways in which good OSH

performances among their contractors and supply chain could benefit them, as well as their experiences and challenges

faced in improving OSH culture. There was also a sharing session by international and regional organisations on fostering a

preventive OSH culture in workplaces.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONOn the international stage, there were also many learning opportunities for OSHD this year.

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 65

STRATEGY 4

Ratification of International Labour Organization (ILO) Promotional Framework for the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Convention

Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-

Jin, announced on 11 June 2012 that Singapore’s

Ministry of Manpower will ratify the ILO

Promotional Framework for Occupational

Safety and Health (OSH) Convention, C187, at

the International Labour Conference in Geneva,

Switzerland. This move to ratify C187 was

supported by its tripartite partners – National

Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore

National Employers Federation (SNEF), as well

as WSH Council.

C187 is an ILO labour standard aimed at

establishing and implementing coherent

national policies on OSH, and promoting a

preventive safety and health culture through

effective collaboration with tripartite partners.

Member states that ratify C187 are required to

establish a framework within which OSH can be promoted. The Convention serves to foster political commitment to develop

national OSH policies, systems, programmes and profiles to promote a culture of continuous improvement of OSH to prevent

occupational injuries, diseases and deaths in workplaces.

Singapore is the 23rd ILO member state to ratify this Convention and is the fourth country in Asia to do so. In ratifying the

Convention, Singapore’s efforts in Workplace Safety and Health will be aligned with international labour standards in ensuring

that the safety and health of our workers is always a top priority on the National agenda. The ratification also cements current

efforts done in collaboration with tripartite partners to safeguard workers against work-related injuries and ill health.

The 5th ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network Plus Three Policy Dialogue on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems

The 5th ASEAN OSHNET Plus Three Policy

Dialogue on Occupational Safety and Health

Management Systems (OSHMS) was held in

Singapore from 29 February to 1 March 2012.

This dialogue was jointly organised by the

Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

(MHLW) and the Singapore Ministry of

Manpower (MOM). Close to 30 OSH experts

from 15 countries and organisations including

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,

Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,

Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as

representatives from the People’s Republic

of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, ASEAN-

OSHNET Secretariat and the International

Labour Organization (ILO) participated in this

dialogue.

Over the course of the dialogue, each participating country shared its latest initiatives and developments in implementing

OSHMS. From the enactment of new legislatives to the initiatives undertaken to simplify the process of implementing OSHMS

to OSHMS good practices, there was a strong sense among the delegates that OSH developments particularly within ASEAN

was rapid and progressive. The lively exchange of ideas and discussion, facilitated by moderators at the end of each session,

further enhanced the sharing. Following the presentations by Hitachi Plant Technologies Limited and Yokogawa Electric

Asia Private Limited, the delegates also had a chance to visit their sites and gained a first-hand experience of the ground

implementation of OSHMS.

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STRATEGY 4

The dialogue concluded with a review of

the work of the policy dialogue on OSHMS

and reinforced the impetus for the focus on

OSHMS and the need for continued dialogue.

Such platforms help to enhance the sharing

of information and anticipation of emerging

issues so that future plans can be made. To

strengthen the implementation of OSHMS in

the region, there was also a broad consensus

that it was important to develop a strategy to

encourage implementation of OSHMS. The key

strategies include:

Building capability on developing and

implementing OSHMS in companies

tailored to individual nation’s and

organisation’s needs;

Aligning OSHMS with business outcomes.

This would entail getting buy-ins from all

stakeholders and adopting a tripartite

approach to ensure that the OSHMS

implementation took into account the

needs of businesses and workers,

particularly the challenges faced by

SMEs; and

Developing effective regulation and

enforcement capabilities to encourage

implementation of OSHMS.

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STRATEGY 4

ASEAN OSHNET Coordinating Board MeetingThe ASEAN-OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting is an annual meeting between the ASEAN-OSHNET representatives to

update and discuss the OSH developments in their country, as well as to share best practices with the interest of improving

the OSH standards in the region.

The 13th ASEAN OSHNET Coordinating Board Meeting (CBM) was held on 18-19 April 2012 in Manila, Philippines. MOM was

represented by Dr Lee Hock Siang, Director for OSH Specialists and Mr Tan Fang Qun, Head (International Collaboration) at

the meeting. MOM updated our initiatives in the programme area of strengthening OSH inspection in ASEAN and the latest

OSH developments in Singapore.

The CBM took stock of OSH progress of all ASEAN Member states since the adoption of the 5-Year Plan of Action and

activities on OSH under National OSH Frameworks at CBM 12. The AMSs made good progress in raising OSH standards and

many of the targets set under this Plan of Action have been achieved as a result of the commitment and effort of all ASEAN

Members states.

Regional and International Collaboration in WSHOver the past year, Singapore continued to collaborate with our partners in raising OSH standards and capacities.

MOM conducted a one-week training course from 24-28 September 2012 for our Qatari counterparts from the Department

of Labour Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health Division on OSH Inspection. A total of 8 delegates attended

this training. During the training, the delegates were given an overview of Singapore’s OSH framework. They were also

brought on site so as to build up the capabilities of participants in the conduct of workplace inspections, audits and

investigations

Two officers from the Ministry of Health, Brunei were attached to MOM OSHD for two weeks to understand Singapore’s

OSH framework and how it is implemented and enforced. They were also provided with practical on-the-job training by

going to inspections with OSHD’s officers.

Our VisitorsOSHD played host to a total of 5 overseas visits in 2012 which encompassed distinguished visitors both from private and

government sectors. A wide spectrum of OSH issues were discussed during these visits and the fruitful exchanges were

valuable for both the host and visiting countries.

Date Visitor

7 May 2012 Delegates from Brunei Public Works Departments

25 July 2012 Delegates from Rostechnadzor (RTN)

3 Dec 2012 Delegates from Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA)

11 Dec 2012 Delegates from Ministry of Health, Vietnam

12 Dec 2012 Delegates from Korean Education Faculty Disaster Association (EDUFA)

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STRATEGY 4

Collaboration with Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) UKThe Engineering Safety Branch from the OSH Specialist Department

regularly meets up with LEEA to explore collaboration opportunities

between MOM and LEEA on Lifting Safety. LEEA is an international

representative body in the lifting industry which is based in HK. They are

the representative body for their Members who work in every aspect of

the industry, from design; manufacture, refurbishment and repair, through

to the hire, maintenance and use of lifting equipment.

The Association has played a key role in this specialised field, from

training and standards setting, to health and safety matters, the provision

of technical and legal advice, and the development of examination and

licensing systems.

4th Asian Conference of Occupational Safety and Health Research Institutions (AOSHRI) Dr Gan Siok Lin (Dy ED, WSH Institute) represented Singapore at the 4th AOSHRI in Kuala Lumpur which brought together 29

participants from 10 countries. The conference provided the platform to facilitate regional cooperation in solving OSH issues,

and the exchange of information, whilst also creating research synergy through the regional network of research institutions.

15th Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH)Dr Gan Siok Lin (Dy ED, WSH Institute) presented a plenary paper on “Promoting Safety and Health in a Green Economy” to

1300 delegates of COSH, an annual conference and exhibition organised by NIOSH Malaysia.

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Russia 2012, Kazan, Russian ConfederationIn APEC Russia 2012, held from 21 – 23 May 2012, Mdm Veronica Chow (Senior Assistant Director, OSH Specialist) represented

Singapore at the Workshop on Concept of Data Exchange on Chemical Products and Chemical Substances Hazardous

Properties, and the 9th Conference on Standards and Conformance in the Field of Innovations and Related Good Practices

where she presented a paper on Chemical Management in Singapore.

The International Conference on Chemical Policy 2012 (ICCP), Seoul, KoreaThe ICCP held from 23 – 25 October 2012, was organised by Korea Chemicals Management Association and supported by

the Ministry of Environment, Korea. Mdm Veronica Chow (Senior Assistant Director, OSH Specialist) was invited to speak on

Chemical Management in Singapore.

OSHD ANNUAL REPORT 2012 69

STRATEGY 4

13 July 2012

Professor dr. Gerard I.J.M. Zwetsloot from TNO (Holland) visited WSH Institute and shared on Corporate Social Responsibility for promoting WSH. He emphasised that “Vision Zero” was not a ‘risk control’ strategy but a ‘safety commitment’ strategy, which emphasised that the company does not tolerate accidents/incidents.

17 July 2012

WSH Institute hosted delegates from the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) and shared with them the OSH system and policy in Singapore as well as the Institute’s research activities.

19 July 2012

The WSH Institute hosted Professor Scott Clark, Professor Emeritus with the University of Cincinnati, for an industry dialogue session involving stakeholders from NUS, WDA, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Occupational and Environmental Health Society. During the session, Prof Clark shared his experiences in the development of postgraduate programmes in Occupational Hygiene.

31 July 2012

Professor Harri Vainio, Director General of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) visited the Institute and shared with the Institute’s management and its Governing Board his experiences in the development of research centres and research priorities. Prof Vainio also presented “From evidence to action: what works?” at the WSH Institute Forum. In the same afternoon, he also spoke on both the importance as well as limitations of scientific evidence to OSH

policies, initiatives and outcomes.

10 October 2012

WSH Institute’s International Visitors

9th WHO Collaborating Centres Meeting for Occupational Health

WSH Institute hosted Dr Robert Aitken (Managing Director, IOM Singapore) and Dr Alastair Robertson (Director of Occupational Hygiene, IOM) for a discussion on recent international research interests and possible areas of research collaborations between the 2 organisations.

Dr Lucy Leong represented MOM in the 9th WHO

Collaborating Centres meeting for Occupational Health on

15-16 March 2012, in Cancun, Mexico. She participated in the

focus group discussion on “healthcare workers” as well as on

“healthy workplaces”.

Dr Lucy Leong attended the 30th International Congress

on Occupational Health from 18 – 23 March 2012, in Cancun,

Mexico, with the theme being “Occupational Health for All:

From Research to Practice”. There were 1745 participants

from 91 countries attending 10 keynote sessions, 30 semi-

plenary sessions, 116 mini-symposiums and special sessions,

91 free paper sessions and 51 business meetings.