Workplace Safety and Health Act

The Workplace Safety and Health Act 2006 is an act issued by the Republic of Singapore. It addresses requirements for safety and health in workplaces,^[1] and replaced the Factories Act as of 1 March 2006.^[2]

The Occupational Safety and Health Framework

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) framework aims to cultivate good safety habits in all individuals, so as to create a strong safety culture at the workplace.

The new framework is guided by the following principles:

Reducing risks at the source by requiring all stakeholders to eliminate or minimise the risks they create;
Instilling greater ownership of safety and health outcomes within the industries; and
Preventing accidents through higher penalties for compromises in safety management.

The Workplace Safety and Health Act

The Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) is the key legislation affecting the principles of the OSH framework.

The WSHA emphasises the importance of managing Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) proactively, by requiring stakeholders to take reasonably practicable measures that ensure the safety and health of all individuals affected in the course of work.

The WSHA replaces the Factories Act. The key reforms under the WSHA include:

Allowing for a gradual increase in scope to cover all workplaces;
Assigning responsibilities to a range of stakeholders at the workplace along lines of control;
Focusing more on WSH systems and outcomes;
Providing for more effective enforcement through the issuance of "remedial orders"; and
Providing for higher penalties for non-compliant and risk-taking behaviour, to prevent accidents at the source.