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Opening Remarks at Launch of National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign 2019

Minister of State for Manpower Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Gardens by the Bay East

Workplace safety and health

Mr John Ng, Chairman, Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council,

Mr Douglas Foo, Vice-President, Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF),

Mr Ong Hwee Liang, Member of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Central Committee and Vice Chairman of NTUC WSH Committee,

Fellow WSH partners, friends, and colleagues,

 

  1. Good morning.

    WSH 2028 Strategies – Strengthening Ownership and Enhancing Focus on Workplace Health

  2. Two weeks ago, we launched our national workplace safety and health strategies for the next 10 years – WSH 2028. Three key strategies will drive the next lap of our WSH journey. Let me elaborate on two of these strategies which are relevant to today’s event.

  3. The first strategy is to strengthen WSH ownership. This year’s National WSH campaign uses colloquial words such as “Bro” or “Sis”, “Da Ge” or “Da Jie”, “Abang” or “Adik”, as an expression of care for our co-workers. It is important to remember that this simple manifestation of care is in service of the larger goal of engendering a culture of care and trust at the workplace.

  4. Achieving good WSH requires a collective effort. When employers, supervisors and workers own and practise WSH in a committed manner, improvements in WSH can be sustained. That all of you are joining us for this fun walk shows that you are committed to the WSH cause.

  5. The second strategy in our WSH 2028 is to enhance our focus on workplace health. Companies can and must play a role in promoting their employees’ good health. Not only is it a tangible expression of care for our fellow workers – a sign of taking ownership, it is also beneficial to the companies. Workers with poorly controlled chronic diseases such as diabetes may experience dizzy spell or become unconscious. This can lead to an accident at work. Therefore, we encourage and will support companies to undertake activities that promote their workforce health.

  6. The fun walk this morning is a good example of an easy and affordable activity companies can organise. Another way is to encourage workers to eat healthily and provide them with regular health screenings and follow-up sessions. Companies can also tap on the Total WSH (TWSH) programme offered jointly by the WSH Council and Health Promotion Board. The TWSH services are designed to help companies manage their workforce health alongside the more traditional WSH issues. I hope that you will take time to take care and participate in these TWSH programmes.

    Conclusion

  7. MOM will be working closely with our tripartite partners to implement the WSH 2028 strategies. We look forward to your continued support and urge everyone to come on board this new stage of our WSH journey.

  8. Together, “Bros” and “Sis”, “Da Ges” and “Da Jies”, “Abang” and “Adik”, we can all show care for our co-workers, and achieve a healthy workforce in safe workplaces. Thank you.