The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had carried out over 3,000 inspections in high-risk industries, uncovering nearly 7,000 safety breaches in the first half of 2025.
In a press release on 29 September 2025, MOM said offending firms were fined more than $1.5 million, and 28 stop-work orders were issued.
Despite the breaches, MOM noted that overall progress has been made in strengthening workplace safety and health.
Singapore’s annualised workplace fatal injury rate fell to 0.92 per 100,000 workers in the first half of 2025, down from 1.0 in the same period of 2024.
The major injury rate also dropped from 16.6 per 100,000 in 1H 2024 to 15.5 per 100,000 workers in 1H 2025, an all-time low rate, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic years.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong said in a Facebook post that while these improvements reflect the “collective efforts of all stakeholders in safeguarding workers’ well-being,” every major injury or fatality is still one too many.
“While overall conditions have improved, our work on workplace safety is never done. NTUC will continue to advocate for stronger fatigue management, safer driving practices, and better vehicle maintenance across transport and vehicle-related work,” he wrote.
Often seen as top contributors to fatal and major injuries in Singapore, the manufacturing and construction sectors both saw a dip in their injury rates for the first half of 2025.
Fatal and major injuries declined in both manufacturing, from 65 to 55 cases, and construction, from 81 to 76 cases, between the first half of 2024 and 2025.
MOM has attributed the improvements to tighter machinery safety requirements for the manufacturing sector, and stronger enforcements in the construction sector.
Meanwhile, vehicular incidents and falls from height remained the leading causes of fatalities across all sectors, with slips, trips and falls remaining the top cause of major injuries.
MOM will be updating the Occupational Disease (OD) list, which will take effect from 1 December 2025.
According to the ministry, the revised list will better protect workers and give employers clearer guidance by aligning reporting and compensation rules under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) and Work Injury Compensation Acts.
The combined list of 38 ODs will expand coverage to musculoskeletal disorders beyond the upper limbs and broaden recognition of occupational infectious diseases in high-risk settings.
OD cases remained stable in the first half of 2025, with an annualised rate of 25.2 per 100,000 workers (465 cases), similar to 25.6 (468 cases) a year earlier.
The main contributors were noise-induced deafness (60 per cent of cases), work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26 per cent of cases), and occupational skin diseases (10 per cent of cases).
MOM credited greater awareness and enforcement for better detection and management of OD.
The ministry also said it will “continue working closely with unions, employers, and industry partners to sustain the momentum and press on towards a culture of WSH excellence.”
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