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Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Leon Perera (Aljunied GRC) commented on the recent increase in accidents in workplaces, saying that the injuries and deaths resulting from these incidents could be because of “the rush to complete delayed projects as well as the current labour crunch.”

In a Thursday (June 2) Facebook post, Mr Perera called the current state of workplace safety “worrying.” He posted a link to a recent article in The Straits Times about the recent death of a Bangladeshi worker. The 37-year-old man had fallen from a roof at a condominium at 16 West Coast Crescent on May 24, where he had been performing waterproofing work.

The worker died from his injuries at the National University Hospital, where he had been rushed after the mishap.

Mr Perera added that he wonders if long overtime hours and the high temperatures outdoors have also contributed to the current workplace safety situation, and note that all sectors — employers, employees, the authorities, and members of the public—must do their part to ensure the safety of workers.

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He also wrote that the workplace must be “one where employees feel well-informed of their rights and confident enough to push back against and report any abuses.”

“I hope the relevant authorities are doing root cause analysis to better understand the reasons behind the current workplace safety situation so that the root causes can be addressed,” the MP wrote.

“Yet another workplace death tragedy happened this week. The number of workplace injuries has been rising over last year. Many injuries are not reported by employers within the stipulated time, according to one NGO.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) was quoted in a May 28 CNA report as saying, “To date, the total number of workplace fatalities in 2022 is 24.”

In a Facebook post on May 9, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that this year, there have been “far too many” workplace deaths.

“We have been working hard for years to prevent workplace accidents, especially deaths. We have made good progress. But with our economy reopening and activities ramping up, safety standards and practices seem to have slipped. Accident rates have gone up, and we have lost ground.

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We must put this right,” he added, announcing a two-week safety timeout.

“Lives are at stake. We have a responsibility to keep all our workers safe, whether they are local or foreign,” wrote PM Lee.

/TISG

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