Written Answer by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower to Parliamentary Question on Workplace Safety and Health Act

To ask the Minister for Manpower what are the efforts undertaken to ensure that (i) premise owners publicize safe workplace practices or make adequate provisions to ensure that independent contractors operating in their premises are protected from workplace incidents; (ii) service buyers play an active role in safety discussions with independent contractors that they engage so that the incidents can be avoided; and (iii) greater publicity, training and educational efforts are channelled to creating safer workplaces for independent contractors.

Answer 

1. Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, premise owners have to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure that their premises are safe for workers, including independent contractors. As required by the Act, premise owners need to conduct risk assessment to eliminate or mitigate any foreseeable risks before work activity can commence.
2. Service buyers also play an important role in ensuring the safety and health of independent contractors. For instance, service buyers are encouraged to adopt the bizSAFE programme, introduced by the WSH Council, to build in-house WSH capabilities in risk management. They can even go a step further to procure services only from bizSAFE certified contractors.
3. Workplace Safety and Health is everyone’s responsibility. Independent contractors can take steps to enhance their workplace safety and health capabilities. They can enrol in safety and health courses offered by accredited training providers. They can access the wide range of free WSH information and toolkits, customised to suit different industry trades, on the WSH Council website. NTUC has set up the Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit (FSEU) to reach out to self-employed and independent contractors. FSEU can work with MOM and WSH Council to enhance WSH awareness and competency of freelancers and independent contractors.
4. On a broader front, MOM and the WSH Council have stepped up WSH awareness activities all year round, including organising engagement forums in collaboration with industry partners. A WSH Campaign highlighting seven common causes of workplace safety incidents in hotspots such as working at heights and safe lifting operations was launched since June this year. The campaign educates workers, including independent contractors, on simple and practical measures to prevent injuries at work through pictograms. These are disseminated through the mass media, television commercials, radio advertisements and outdoor media.
5. WSH is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders. Independent contractors too should play their part and ensure that they carry out work in a safe manner. MOM and WSH Council will continue to work closely with our tripartite partners to create safer workplaces for all workers, including independent contractors.