Tips Prevention of Workplace Hazards

Source: https://www.wshc.sg/wps/portal/gallery?view=Flyer&openMenu=-1

Extension of the Workplace Safety and Health Act

The Workplace Safety and Health Council and the Ministry of Manpower announced the National Workplace Health Strategy at the National Workplace Safety and Health (NWSH) Campaign 2010 launch. Guest of Honour Minister for Manpower, Mr Gan Kim Yong, highlighted in his speech the key areas from the Workplace Health Strategy, as detailed below.

Manpower Minister announced the extension of the Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSH Act) to cover all workplaces and another 140,000 establishments in Sept 2011. He also announced, for consultation, a draft Guidebook on Common Hazards and Control Measures, covering key issues such as slips and trips in workplaces as well as injuries arising from improper handling of heavy loads.

Source: WSH Alert dated 29 Apr 2010

Five Parties Convicted for Failing to Ensure Workplace Safety

Two companies from the marine industry and three of their employees were convicted on 1 April 2010 for failing to ensure workplace safety. The convicted parties were fined a total of $485,000.

One of the companies was responsible for the death of 3 workers and injuries sustained by 10 others in two separate incidents in 2008. In the first incident, the company was engaged to install hydraulic pipes on a vessel. A fire broke out on the vessel and injured four workers.

It was found that the project manager had allowed compressed oxygen to be used to test the pipes. The pipes' rusty and rough interior generated heat when the pressurised oxygen passed through them. The heat, combined with the oxygen, rust and lubricating oil found in the vicinity, led to the explosion.

In the 2nd incident, 2 months later, a flash fire broke out on a vessel during spray painting works at the company's premises. The accident left 3 workers dead and 6 others injured. Investigations found that the company did not effectively ventilate the tanks to ensure that flammable vapours generated from the spray painting works did not build up. The ship repair manager had also approved the permit-to-work without ensuring the implementation of all safety measures, e.g. preventing workers from bringing in unsafe torchlights, which could have been the ignition source.

The 2nd company convicted was responsible for an accident on board a ship that claimed 2 lives, and injured another. The workers were assigned to clean a tank and they entered it even though it contained a high concentration of toxic Hydrogen Sulphide gas. Investigations revealed that the company had failed to provide them with safety equipment such as breathing devices and personal gas monitors. One of the supervisors had also told the workers to enter the tank even though it was dangerous to do so.

Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council, Mr Lee Tzu Yang said the deaths and injuries in the cases are a "sombre reminder" of the workers affected by poor safety standards and a disregard for safety rules. "Each of the five workers who died had unfulfilled dreams and families who will miss them everyday. Industry players must constantly remind ourselves that we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our workers. At no time should anyone disregard any safety measures so as to take an easier route to complete a job. In each of these cases, someone had ignored important safety measures," he said. On behalf of the WSH Council, he urged all stakeholders to think about the impact of one's actions and to always keep safety foremost on their minds.

Source: WSH Alert dated 27 Apr 2010

Forklift - Unsafe acts / conditions

Parked with the forks too high

Do I need to say anything?

HAZMAT Compatibility Chart

APPROVED CODES OF PRACTICE

WSH (APPROVED CODES OF PRACTICE) NOTIFICATION 2010
Come into effect from 1st February 2010

1. Code of Practice for Working Safely at Height - 2009
2. SS 537: Code of Practice for Safe Use of Machinery
Part 1: General requirements - 2008
3. SS 531: Part 1: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places,Indoor - 2006
4. SS 531: Part 2: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places, Outdoor - 2008
5. SS 531: Part 3: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places, Lighting requirements for safety and security of outdoor work places - 2008
6. SS 548: Code of Practice for Selection, use, and maintenance of respiratory protective devices (Formerly CP 74:1998)- 2009
7. SS 549: Code of Practice for Selection, use, care and maintenance of hearing protectors (Formerly CP 76:1999)- 2009
8. SS 536: Code of Practice for the safe use of mobile cranes Formerly CP 37:2000)- 2008
9. SS 510: Code of Practice for safety in welding and cutting (and other operations involving the use of heat)- 2005
10. CP 101: Code of Practice for safe use of powered counterbalanced forklifts - 2004
11. CP 91: Code of Practice for lockout procedure - 2001
12. CP 27: Code of Practice for factory layout — safety, health and welfare considerations - 1999
13. CP 62: Code of Practice for the safe use of tower cranes - 1995
14. CP 63: Code of Practice for the lifting of persons in work platforms suspended from cranes - 1996
15. CP 79: Code of Practice for safety management system for construction worksites - 1999
16. CP 84: Code of Practice for entry into and safe working in confined spaces - 2000
17. CP 14: Code of Practice for Scaffolds - 1996
18. CP 20: Code of Practice for suspended scaffolds - 1999
19. CP 23: Code of Practice for formwork - 2000
20. CP 88 – 1: Code of Practice for temporary electrical installations — Construction and building sites - 2001
21. CP 88 – 3: Code of Practice for temporary electrical installations — Shipbuilding and ship-repairing yards - 2001
22. SS 473 – 1: Personal eye-protectors — general requirements - 1999
23. SS 473 – 2: Personal eye-protectors — selection, use and maintenance - 1999
24. SS 508 – 1: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Design principles for safety signs in workplaces and public areas - 2004
25. SS 508 – 3: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Safety signs used in workplaces and public areas - 2004
26. SS 98: Industrial safety helmets - 2005
27. SS 513 – 1: Personal protective equipment — Footwear — Safety footwear - 2005
28. SS 513 – 2: 2005 Personal protective equipment — Footwear — Test methods for footwear - 2005

WSH (Safety and Health Management System and Auditing) Reg 2009

These Regulations will come into operation on 1 March 2010.

It covers the following areas:

APPROVAL TO ACT AS WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH AUDITOR

• Application for approval to be workplace safety and health auditor
• Requirements for approval as workplace safety and health auditor
• Register of workplace safety and health auditors

SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Implementation of safety and health management system
• Workplace safety and health audit
• Internal review of safety and health management system
• Commissioner may direct occupier of workplace to appoint workplace safety and health auditor
• Duties of workplace safety and health auditor
• Powers of workplace safety and health auditor

WORKPLACES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

1. Any premises which is a worksite.
2. Any premises which is a shipyard.
3. Any factory engaged in the manufacturing of fabricated metal products, machinery or equipment and in which 100 or more persons are employed.
4. Any factory engaged in the processing or manufacturing of petroleum, petroleum products, petrochemicals or petrochemical products.
5. Any premises where the bulk storage of toxic or flammable liquid is carried on by way of trade or for the purpose of gain and which has a storage capacity of 5,000 or more cubic metres for such toxic or flammable liquid.
6. Any factory engaged in the manufacturing of —
   (a) fluorine, chlorine, hydrogen fluoride or carbon monoxide; and
   (b) synthetic polymers.
7. Any factory engaged in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products or their intermediates.
8. Any factory engaged in the manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.