Singapore finalises plan to cut maritime injuries

SINGAPORE's Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower, has launched a 10-year programme to improve safety standards in the marine sector which, together with the construction industry, accounted for 63 per cent of the country's workplace fatalities in 2009.

"Smaller and medium size shipyards that are not yet fully on board our WSH journey are a key focus area for work ahead," said Poo Aun Neow, chairman of the WSH Council's marine committee. "We aim to get such yards to have better risk management in place to address key hazards."

Chief among the organisations' goals is to halve the number of deaths in the two sectors by 2013. Specific plans on how to achieve this aim were finalised earlier this month, following extensive consultation with industry stakeholders.

The plans will include an increased focus on risk assessment for shipyards - smaller facilities in particular - as well as shipowners, who will be required to align their practices with those of the former.

Yard operators will also benefit from improved access to training facilities. The new Marine Industry Training Centre, set up by the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI), will provide yard staff with training courses in various marine trades, such as scaffolding and electrical work.

To complement training initiatives, ASMI will introduce a pilot self-regulation programme to review WSH standards through cross-inspections at 14 participating facilities. Learning points from these inspections will be distilled and shared with all companies in the industry.

Operators of bigger yards meanwhile will be asked to rate the quality of sub-contractors in WSH competencies and performance within contracts.

(Source: www.schednet.com)