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Speech at Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL)'s Annual Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Campaign

Minister of State for Manpower Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, BCA Academy (Braddell Campus）

Mr Lee Kay Chai, President of Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL)

Industry Partners,

Award recipients,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

  1. It is indeed my pleasure to join you today at SCAL’s Annual Environment, Health and Safety Campaign.
  2. This is my first time here, so I hope to go around and say hello to all of you—the very people who are truly the backbone of Singapore’s construction industry.
  3.  I liked what I heard earlier when we were talking about the Traffic Safety Handbook. I used to be from the military, and when we briefed our soldiers who were driving those big trucks, we told them: while it's a tool to get our people from one place to another, it's also a weapon. So, something that is meant for good can also do harm. We must be very vigilant. And I think that same culture is what we see here today.
  4. Let me begin by thanking SCAL for your exemplary leadership and partnership in championing workplace health and safety in the built environment. Your dedication in promoting WSH best practices and driving innovation has made a tangible difference on the ground. The collaboration between SCAL and the Government is crucial, because together we can create a construction industry where safety is not just a priority but a core value.
  5.  My congratulations to all the award recipients today. As we celebrate these achievements, we must remain committed to ensuring that safety and health at the workplace continues to be emphasised.
  6.  Looking ahead, total construction demand from 2026 to 2027 will increase from about $39 billion to about $46 billion—a tremendous jump—primarily fuelled by large-scale projects such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Marina Bay Sands IR2.
  7. At the same time, we are making remarkable progress in workplace health and safety in the construction industry. The fatal injury rate has decreased by more than 30%, from 5.4 per 100,000 in 2015 to about 3.7 in 2024.
  8. This would not have been possible without the collective efforts of all of you here today, who have gone above and beyond to implement robust safety measures and build a strong safety culture at the worksites. This includes ground-up initiatives, adoption of technology, and a sustained focus on strengthening safety protocols and culture. And, as Mr Lee mentioned, the need to be vigilant and not become complacent.
  9. The job of safety is never done. It continues to be a work in progress. Construction remains one of the highest-risk industries in our economy and a leading contributor to workplace injuries and fatalities.
  10. While the opportunities ahead may be promising, Singapore’s development must never come at the cost of workers’ lives and limbs. Every hazard at the worksite can be reported and managed properly. Every incident or near miss is a crucial reminder for everyone on the worksite and beyond. And every effort must be made to transform how we work and build safer workplaces.
  11.  I believe there are three key ideas in strengthening our safety culture: innovation, process change, and individual behaviours. All three make a tremendous difference on the ground.
  12.  Many companies are already embracing robotics and automation to reduce workplace risk while improving productivity. I visited NS Square not long ago, and I saw robots being used to level large concrete surfaces. These machines created a virtuous cycle—they increase construction speed, reduced labour costs and material waste, and also lowered the risk of injuries and accidents. We should embrace such technologies early. While the upfront cost may seem high, it pays off in the long run.
  13.  It’s also heartening to see process changes on the ground that have improved safety. For example, Tech Onshore MEP Prefabricators developed an innovative solution that allows up to 20 prefabricated MEP modules to be assembled safely on the ground before being lifted into place. It might seem obvious now, but this has reduced the man-hours required from 510 to 350, increasing productivity by about 30%. And more importantly, assembling components on the ground is clearly safer than doing it at height.
  14.  This is a commendable ground-up effort, and I’d like to thank Tech Onshore MEP for this initiative.
  15.  Beyond process changes, individual vigilance is critical. I’d like to highlight Mr Manevali Venkadesan Maran from Straits Construction Pte Ltd, who is receiving SCAL’s WSH Supervisor Award for his exceptional commitment to workplace safety and the wellbeing of his team.
  16. This is the kind of individual effort that goes beyond what the company asks for—and that’s what makes the difference. His initiatives, such as coloured access openings and enhanced parapet wall barriers, have significantly improved on-site safety for Straits Construction.
  17. Workers have also shared how Mr Maran’s leadership, especially through active engagement during toolbox meetings and encouraging open dialogue, has helped create a stronger safety culture. Sometimes our workers are aware of the issues, but may remain silent—due to language barriers, or perceived gaps between supervisors and workers. When leaders create a culture of open dialogue, safety outcomes improve tremendously. Mr Maran exemplifies this and remains a role model. Let us all congratulate him on a job well done.
  18.  These success stories show that with commitment and creativity, we can continue to improve Singapore’s workplace safety culture. But we must keep going and continue to share and scale these best practices. Because they make business sense—and they protect people.
  19.  The Government is also actively exploring how technology and artificial intelligence (AI) can improve workplace safety. It is a game changer.
  20.  We are encouraged by the use of video surveillance systems, video analytics, and real-time alerts that notify supervisors of hazards and allow for immediate corrective action. I saw this live at NS Square, and such technologies are a force multiplier. Instead of deploying more people, we now have technology acting as our eyes and ears on the ground.
  21. We’re also scaling up SafeSite video analytics. This allows government procurement entities and contractors to monitor safety not just at a single site but across multiple sites from a centralised dashboard. It gives HQs greater visibility and enables better safety outcomes.
  22.  SafeSite will pave the way for more widespread adoption of video analytics, and we hope to extend it from public sector projects to private ones as well.
  23.  We’re also developing AISpot—a generative AI tool that complements video analytics by helping identify key workplace health and safety hazards. Today, many AI tools generate a long list of possible risks, which may not even exist. So, we’re working with A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research to develop a specially trained Gen AI model that provides greater accuracy and less hallucination.
  24.  The aim is for AISpot to identify hazards on the ground in the same way a human safety inspector would. That’s a stretch goal, but it’s worth pursuing. The idea is not to replace our WSH personnel, but to support them, so they can focus on complex or dangerous hazards. These tools will be useful to shape the workplace of the future.
  25.  When there are cameras, people do what they need to do. We don’t need to worry about people cutting corners. These AI-powered cameras can be game changers—just like street cameras have helped reduce crime and littering.
  26.  MOM will continue to support adoption of these technologies. And we have other tools we can scale up now.
  27.  The Stability Control System (SCS) for lorry cranes has already significantly reduced the risk of tip-over accidents. In fact, six out of ten crane-related dangerous occurrences over the past decade could have been prevented with SCS.
  28. From 1 January 2025, all newly registered lorry cranes must have SCS installed. We also encourage owners of existing lorry cranes to install the SCS.
  29. MOM has set up a grant to help companies defray the installation cost for both new and existing lorry cranes. We are encouraged that half of Singapore’s lorry cranes have been equipped with the SCS.
  30.  Today, I’m pleased to announce that the grant will be topped up by another $1.8 million and extended till March 2027. We strongly encourage companies to utilise this support. It’s there, and it’s meant to help you make your worksites safer.
  31.  Let me conclude by saying this: innovation and technology are changing the industry. But it is the commitment of people on the ground that ultimately saves lives.
  32.  Let us continue to encourage good practices, report hazards, and support one another in building safer workplaces.
  33. And once again, I want to thank SCAL and all our partners for your unwavering commitment to workplace safety and health.
  34.  I look forward to continuing this journey together with all of you.
  35.  Thank you.