Flammable & Hazardous Substances
Fire, explosion and exposure to harmful substances was the third most common accident type for workplace fatalities in 2007, contributing to 14.3% of all workplace fatalities. Employees most at risk include those from the process, chemical and marine industries.
Figure 1: Top 3 Accident Types in 2007
Materials and substances was the second most common accident agent in 2007. There were 14 materials-related workplace fatalities in 2007, of which nine or 14.0% of the cases were linked to Flammable and Hazardous Substances (FHS). This is a drastic increase from 2006's single case.
Figure 2: Top 3 Accident Agents in 2007
Figure 3: Breakdown of Materials & Substances-related cases
Accidents due to FHS often lead to explosive outcomes with multiple fatalities. In 2007, 60% of fatal accidents due to FHS led to more than one death.
Compliance Assistance
Operations
The Ministry of Manpower will conduct enforcement operations on workplaces with Flammable and Hazardous Substances (FHS). Enforcement areas include risk management with particular emphasis on managing FHS, availability of permit-to-work systems where required, provision of risk mitigation measures, and adequacy of information and training.
Compliance Assistance Checklist
A Compliance Assistance Checklist (Flammable and Hazardous Substances) was developed by the WSH Council to provide a general view of basic occupational safety and health requirements in manufacturing products dealing with Flammable and Hazardous Substances
Technical Advisory
The technical advisory for Flammable and Hazardous Substances was developed to help stakeholders have a better understanding of its hazards when dealing with these substances and ways to manage such risks. The contents of the technical advisory include:
- Hazards of Flammable and Hazardous Substances
- Risk Management
- Emergency Preparedness
- Case Studies dealing with Flammable and Hazardous Substances
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