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Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations take effect from 1 September 2006
Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 07:00 PM

The Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations will take effect from 1 September 2006. The Regulations state the responsibility of employers, self-employed persons and principals (including contractors and sub-contractors) to identify safety and health hazards at workplaces and to take appropriate actions to eliminate or reduce the risks associated with the hazards.

2. The requirement for risk management [1] was mandated to foster a proactive accident prevention culture. Risk management is not a new concept as it has been part of the Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) that are mandatory for larger companies. Companies were given six months since the Regulations [2] were announced in March 2006, to prepare themselves for compliance. To help companies implement risk management, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has put in place various measures such as the Risk Management Assistance Fund (RMAF), risk management workshops and information materials.

Risk Management Assistance Fund

3. The RMAF [3] was set up by MOM in April 2006 to assist SMEs to engage approved risk consultants to conduct risk assessments and build in-house capability. Since then, more than 500 persons have gone through briefing sessions conducted by the seven appointed RMAF agents [4]. To date, 50 applications have been approved by MOM, including the famous Singapore brand Ya Kun (S) Pte Ltd which has a factory that manufactures “kaya”. (Please see Annex B for the company’s profile.)

Risk Management Workshops and materials

4. More than 300 persons have attended a two-day risk management course by Accredited Training Providers [5]. MOM has also conducted a series of risk management workshops together with the Workplace Safety and Health Advisory Committee and industry associations to develop risk management compendiums6 for different trades and activities in the marine, construction, chemical and metalworking industries. The completed compendium would be available on the MOM website and shared with companies in another upcoming series of workshops that is expected to benefit 2,000 participants and 1000 SMEs.

5. The Ministry would like to remind employers, self-employed persons and principals of their duties under the Regulations to implement risk management. Under the Regulations, a first time offender is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000. A repeated offender could be fined up to $20,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding 6 months or both. Companies which have not conducted risk assessments should do so immediately. They may approach MOM, the various industry associations as well as ATPs and RMAF agents for further information and assistance on the implementation of risk management.

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[1] Risk management is an important measure to improve workplace safety and health by identifying, evaluating and controlling risks at workplaces.

[2] The Regulations were gazetted alongside the workplace Safety and Health Act in March 2006.

[3] RMAF was set up in April 2006 to help SMEs which are factories or companies covered under the WSH Act with 100 or less employees. SMEs can get up to 70% co-funding to hire external consultants to identify and address risks at the workplace, subject to a cap of S$7,500.

[4] See Annex A for the full list of the agents.

[5] A list of the accredited training providers in Risk Management Course is available at MOM website at URL: http://www.mom.gov.sg/OSHD/TrainingInfonCompetencyStandards.

[6] Risk Management materials can be found at MOM Website:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/OSHD/Resources/Guides/Guidelines/index.htm.

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