Keynote Address at NSCS Commendation Awards Ceremony 2026

Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Minister of State for Manpower, Centrium Square

Mr Ameerali Abdeali, Honorary President, and Board Members of the National Safety Council of Singapore,

Mr Abu Bakar Mohd Nor, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council,

Distinguished guests,

Award recipients,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Opening and Acknowledgements

Good evening everyone. I am honoured to be here with you today.

60 Years of NSCS and the Roots of Safety Culture

2.        We are gathered here today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the National Safety Council of Singapore. When you think about it, this is actually quite remarkable. In the years following our independence, when Singapore was still wondering whether we would be viable as a nation, a group of people came together to talk about safety, not just at an individual level, but at a national level.

3.        Over time, that thinking has evolved into what you see today. Even though board members may have changed, that wisdom continues to run through the organisation. I think that continuity is an important part of NSCS’s DNA, and something that has remained very much alive.

Why Workplace Safety and Health Matters

4.        It is useful for us to take a step back and ask why workplace safety and health is so important, and why we continue to talk about it in so many forums. Part of the reason is that if we claim to be a first-world nation, then we must also uphold first-world standards for occupational safety and health.

5.        One such measure is our fatality rate. Internationally, a commonly referenced benchmark is fewer than one fatality per 100,000 workers. This does not mean that we aspire to fatalities. Every single fatality is one too many. But achieving a rate below one is significant, given the journey we have taken to reduce fatalities from much higher numbers over the years.

Singapore’s WSH Performance and the Importance of Culture

6.        I am pleased to share that, as announced earlier today, Singapore officially achieved a workplace fatality rate of 0.96 per 100,000 workers in 2025. We have gone below one. The last time this happened was during the COVID-19 period in 2020, and our hope is to sustain this progress.

7.        Why is going below one important? You can reduce numbers through systems and processes, but to go below one requires culture. It requires people to be alert, to speak up, and to intervene early when something is unsafe.

8.        I hope that over the past year, we have seen signs of this safety culture taking root. That is something worth celebrating, and it is very much what this anniversary represents. Our aspiration remains to stay below one, and ultimately to work towards zero fatalities, even as we recognise that some risks are beyond our control.

9.        I would also like to thank NSCS for organising this inaugural event to recognise the contributions of organisations and individuals who have advanced workplace safety and health. We are all happy to be here to celebrate these efforts.

Safety as a Lifelong Mindset

10.     The notion of safety is not new. Many of us were taught about safety from a young age. I remember road safety lessons in school, visits to traffic safety parks, and learning how to cross the road properly. Even today, you can see children instinctively stopping, looking up, and checking before they cross. These are positive outcomes of long-term efforts to build a safety culture in our society. However, we continue to see tragic and preventable incidents, particularly on our roads. Traffic Police will tell you that speeding and drink-driving remain common causes, driven by individual acts of poor judgement.

Emerging Safety Challenges in a Changing Society

11. When you look at this from a national perspective, there are other trends we must consider. Our workforce is ageing. A younger person who trips and falls may recover quickly, but for an older worker, the same incident can result in prolonged hospitalisation and lasting impact.

12.     We are also seeing changes in behaviour among younger generations. Many young people today are almost constantly on their phones and may be less aware of their surroundings. This affects not just social interaction, but also their ability to recognise hazards.

Preventability and Shared Responsibility

13.     All of this reinforces an important point. Workplace accidents are preventable. Every accident can be prevented if we adopt the right mindset. We must ask whether hazards were overlooked, whether someone could have spoken up earlier, or whether intervention came too late.

14.     Workplace safety and health is therefore a collective responsibility. It does not rest only with safety officers. Leadership plays an important role. When CEOs and senior leaders walk the ground, behaviours change and safety culture improves. In my own role, this can be challenging, because if I appear suddenly, things tend to get cleaned up very quickly. This is where technology can help.

15.     Artificial intelligence is transforming the workplace and has tremendous potential to improve safety. We should see AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity.

SafeSite Video Analytics and Practical Use of AI

16.     Earlier today, I visited an LTA worksite involved in the SafeSite Video Analytics pilot. Cameras combined with AI analytics can detect unsafe behaviours, such as entering restricted areas or not wearing PPE, and alert safety officers in real time.

17.     Beyond safety, there are productivity benefits. Fewer personnel are needed on the ground because monitoring can be done centrally. At the site I visited, just 10 AI-enabled cameras out of 31 were sufficient to cover the entire worksite.

18.     Beyond safety, there are productivity benefits. Fewer personnel are needed on the ground because monitoring can be done centrally. At the site I visited, just 10 AI-enabled cameras out of 31 were sufficient to cover the entire worksite.

Honouring Safety Champions and Award Recipients

19.     We are fortunate to have outstanding safety champions among us. Engineer Ho Siong Hin, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, is one such example. During his tenure as Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health at the Ministry of Manpower, he played a key role in shaping Singapore’s national WSH strategies. Under his leadership, Singapore’s workplace fatality rate was reduced from 4.9 per 100,000 workers in 2004 to 1.1 in 2019. This represents many lives saved, and this recognition is a testament to his dedication.

20.     I would also like to commend Worley Engineering Singapore Pte Ltd, recipient of the Commendation Award. They have consistently achieved excellence in workplace safety and health, and have received the WSH Council’s Workplace Safety and Health Performance Gold Award for the past two years.

21.     Later this evening, we will also present the Benefactor Award to recognise individuals who have gone above and beyond to promote safety within the community. These efforts remind us that small actions matter, and when recognised early, they help shape culture and prevent larger incidents.

Closing and Looking Ahead

22.     Let me conclude by congratulating the National Safety Council of Singapore on 60 years of meaningful work. I look forward to seeing NSCS continue its strong advocacy for workplace safety and health in the years ahead.

23.     Thank you very much, and I wish all of you a pleasant evening.