Government and WSH2028 Tripartite Strategy Committee accepts recommendations by the International Advisory Panel for Workplace Safety and Health

1. Minister of State for Manpower Mr Zaqy Mohamad, on behalf of the Government, and Mr John Ng, on behalf of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) 2028 Tripartite Strategy Committee, have accepted the recommendations of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) for WSH at the Singapore WSH Conference on 30 August 2018. Mr Zaqy thanked the IAP members for their contributions and valuable insights. The Ministry of Manpower will work closely with tripartite partners and industry stakeholders to incorporate the IAP’s recommendations into the WSH2028 strategy, to improve Singapore’s WSH standards over the next ten years.
2. At the Singapore WSH Conference 2018, Chairman of the WSH2028 Tripartite Strategy Committee (TSC) Mr John Ng outlined the WSH2028 vision of A Healthy Workforce in Safe Workplaces, and the three strategies to guide efforts toward WSH2028 outcomes:
   
   (i) Deepen WSH ownership
   (ii) Renew focus on workplace health
   (iii) Promote technology adoption to advance WSH outcomes
   
   Refer to Annex A for the executive summary of TSC’s preliminary recommendations.
3. At the 6th IAP meeting for WSH that was held on 28 and 30 August 2018, the following recommendations were made in support of the WSH2028 strategies:
   
   (i) Strengthen learning from accidents and near-misses;
   (ii) Leverage on tripartite cooperation to deepen WSH ownership;
   (iii) Drive WSH improvement through Board of Directors;
   (iv) Manage health risks in addition to occupational diseases, in particular psychosocial risks; and
   (v) Clarify principals’ WSH responsibilities to self-employed persons.
   
   The full report of IAP’s recommendation can be found in Annex B. Information on the IAP panel members can be found in Annex C.
4. Mr John Ng said, “The WSH2028 Tripartite Strategy Committee will continue to consult and engage stakeholders to refine the strategies. I am positive that, in tandem with our tripartite partners, employers and workers, we will be able to bring Singapore to the next level of WSH excellence and have a healthy workforce in safe workplaces.”
5. IAP member Mr Kevin Myers said, “Singapore has made significant progress in her WSH outcomes over the past decade. The WSH2028 strategy builds upon this success and sets out an approach to guide it through the next 10 years - to both address current challenges, seek to anticipate future ones, and meet its aspirations to be one of the world leaders in terms of OSH performance and outcomes. In particular, the recommendations to enable a business and regulatory environment that demands and rewards good WSH performance and to help senior industry leaders to deliver their responsibilities are key to deepening WSH ownership by companies.”