Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng to PQ on Data on Workplace Injuries in Food and Beverage Industry caused by Slips, Trips and Falls

NOTICE PAPER NO. 500 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 6 JULY 2021
QUESTION NO. 827 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
MP: Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye

To ask the Minister for Manpower
(a) whether workplace injuries in the food and beverage industry that are caused by slips, trips and falls can be attributed to the manpower shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic where workers have increased workloads and working hours; (b) what is the number of such injuries in the past five years, broken down by (i) slippery areas (ii) slopes (iii) uneven areas and (iv) cluttered areas; and (c) whether technology can be deployed to mitigate the risks and foster better workplace safety.

Answer

1. We recognise that COVID-19 border restrictions have resulted in manpower challenges in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, but it is unclear the degree to which these have contributed to the increase in workplace injuries. In fact, slips, trips and falls (STF) have been identified to be the main driver for rising injuries in the F&B industry over the past few years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic started.
2. In the past five years, there have been close to 1,200 STF injuries in the F&B industry, including one fatal injury in 2019. The STFs in the F&B industry have been increasing by an average of 12% a year from 2016 to 2019, and only reduced slightly in 2020 due to COVID-related work stoppages. Based on MOM’s data, STF accidents in the F&B sector are more likely to occur due to wet or slippery surfaces and near steps, as compared to uneven or cluttered surfaces.
3. These trends are indeed becoming an area of concern. This is why MOM, together with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, are strengthening our efforts on this front. The WSH Council recently worked with industry associations, including those in F&B, to launch a national STF prevention campaign on 17 June 2021. The campaign educates employers and workers on how to prevent STF injuries by taking simple steps, such as wearing non-slip footwear on wet or oily surfaces, always holding handrails, and cleaning spills up immediately. The campaign has reached almost 1,600 members of F&B industry associations.
4. For companies that need help on learning to be safer, WSH Council also provides free guidance visits to eligible companies, such as through the StartSAFE programme to help employers identify WSH risks and implement good WSH practices.
5. Companies can also proactively implement measures to manage floor safety and reduce STF accidents, including through the use of technology solutions. In fact, promoting technology-enabled WSH is also one of MOM’s WSH 2028 strategies. Today, measurement of slip risks can be performed using slip meters which are simple to use. Readings for slip meters supplement risk assessments especially at locations where STF near misses or accidents are caused by contaminants requiring specific chemical clean up. For real time monitoring of STF incidents and hazards, MOM, together with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), worked with a local technology firm to develop a solution using vision analytics and wearables in the Facilities Management sector. This solution is currently being trialled in other sectors including the F&B sector.