While the construction companies and workers who spoke to TODAY agreed that the Ministry of Manpower’s plans for more stringent spot checks and penalties would send a strong signal to the industry, many felt that the effectiveness would be limited if companies do not have the resources to address the underlying safety issues.
In a written parliamentary response in January, MOM said that it had resumed approvals for construction, marine shipyard and process sector workers to enter Singapore from November 2021, after a period of tightening during the height of Covid-19.
Similarly, Mr Howard How, EHS director of publicly listed company Boustead Projects, said they will deploy “smart sensing wearable tags technology coupled with proximity sensors” and use video analytics to better monitor workers and alert them of hazards at the work site. “Safety basically equals more time and more money. Otherwise, why would anyone take the risk of doing things dangerously if they have no choice? Everybody wants to come back safely after work,”.
Work camps at night. Death at day. Welcome to Singapore, land of the apartheid.
Huh ? Doesn’t this sound like finding excuses ?