Types of workplace incidents

Under the Workplace Safety and Health (Incident Reporting) Regulations, an incident report must be made when any of these occur:

• Workplace accidents
• Dangerous Occurrences
• Occupational Diseases

Examples of cases that need to be reported can be found here.

Workplace Accidents

A workplace accident refers to any accident occurring in the course of a person's work, with the following exceptions:

1. Any accident that occurs while a person is commuting to and from the workplace;
2. Collapse or failure of lifting equipment:
3. Any accident that occurs in the course of a domestic worker's employment.

Dangerous Occurrences

A dangerous occurrence is a serious workplace incident in which no one is killed or injured.

The following dangerous occurrences must be reported:

1. Bursting of a revolving vessel, wheel, grindstone or grinding wheel moved by mechanical power
2. Collapse or failure of lifting equipment:
   
   
   1. Lifting equipment refers to a crane, derrick, winch, hoist, piling frame or any appliance used to raise/lower persons or goods
   2. The collapse or failure of any lifting equipment's load-bearing part(s), other than the breakage of the chain or rope slings, is also deemed a dangerous occurrence
   3. In addition to the above, any instance of a crane overturning will also be deemed a dangerous occurrence
3. Explosion or fire in a room/place in which persons are at work, resulting in damage to, the structure of the room/place; or any machine or plant in the room/place. The explosion or fire must have been caused by the ignition of dust, gas, vapour or any substance that is/contains celluloid. The incident must also have resulted in the complete suspension of normal work in the room/place or stoppage of machinery/plant for at least five hours
4. Electrical short circuit or failure of electrical machinery, plant or apparatus, resulting in explosion, fire or structural damage and causing its stoppage for at least five hours
5. Explosion or fire in a room in which persons are at work, resulting in the complete suspension of normal work in the room for at least 24 hours
6. Explosion or failure of the structure of a steam boiler, receiver or container used to store (At greater than atmospheric pressure):
    
   
   • Any gas(es) including air; or
   • Any liquid/solid resulting from the compression of gas(es)
7. Failure/collapse of formwork or its supports
8. Partial or complete collapse of:
    
   • A scaffold exceeding 15 metres in height
   • A suspended or hanging scaffold from which a person may fall more than two metres
9. Accidental seepage or entry of seawater into a dry/floating dock, causing flooding.

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Occupational Diseases

The following occupational diseases (revised as of 1 Sept 2011) must be reported to MOM:

Aniline poisoning Anthrax Arsenical poisoning Asbestosis Barotrauma Beryllium poisoning Byssinosis Cadmium poisoning Carbarmate poisoning Compressed air illness ot its sequelae, including dysbaric osteonecrosis  Cyanide poisoning Diseases caused by excessive heat Diseases caused by ioniziong radiation Hydrogen sulphide poisoning Lead poisoning Leptospirosis Liver angiosarcoma Managanese poisoning

Mercurial poisoning Mesothelioma Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb  Noise-induced deafness  Occupational asthma Occupational skin cancers Occupational skin diseases Organophosphate poisoning Phosphorous poisoning Poisoning by benzene or a homologue of benzene Poisoning by carbon disulphide Poisoning by carbon monoxide gas Poisoning by oxides of nitrogen Poisoning from halogen derivatives of hydrocarbon compounds Silicosis Toxic anaemia Toxic hepatitis

Examples on Incident Reporting

Example	Need to report?	Who should report	What to do
A kitchen worker cuts his/her finger while shredding meat. The worker is subsequently given only two days of medical leave.	No	N.A.	N.A.
A construction worker slips and falls, resulting in a fractured leg. He is subsequently given two weeks of medical leave.	Yes	The employer of the injured worker.	Submit the incident report within 10 days of the accident.
A mobile crane topples at a worksite but there are no injuries.	Yes	The worksite occupier	Notify the Commissioner immediately; and Submit the incident report within 10 days of the incident.
A patient dies as a result of inappropriate treatment at a hospital.	No	N.A.	N.A.
A member of public slips and falls on an escalator in an office building, due to the escalator's malfunction.	No	N.A.	N.A.
A student on industrial attachment gets injured and is subsequently given five days of medical leave.	Yes	The worksite occupier	Notify the Commissioner immediately; and Submit the incident report within 10 days of the accident.
A self-employed person injures him/herself at work and gets one week of medical leave.	Yes	The workplace occupier	Notify the Commissioner immediately; and Submit the incident report within 10 days of the accident.