Reiterating our WSH Vision 2018 and safety awards
Initially, WSH Council developed a national strategy known as WSH 2015 to meet the target of cutting the target of workplace fatalities to 2.5 by 2015 per 100,000 people. With the workplace fatality rate in 2007 standing at 2.9 per 100,000 workers, Singapore is well on track to surpass the 2015 target of 2.5 per 100,000 workers. MOM and WSH Council agree that a more ambitious target was achievable. In April 2008, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a new goal to reduced the workplace fatality to less than 1.8 % per 100,000 workers by 2018.
Theoretically, based on the past 2 year WSH statistics, we could have done even more to cut down the statistics as we would like to have.
The question that should be in the mind now, even after we achieved the target in 2018, does it means that we have achieved our goal? What I am trying to put across the message is that even though the vision or goal is still away in 2 years time, all WSH safety professionals should make a consciousness effort in reducing and prevent all accidents from happening in every day's operation.
It is true that when you have a goal, you will have a direction to work towards to. But as a matter of fact, workplace safety is an every day affair. Everyone goes to work every day. The change in workplace conditions presents different hazards as well. As a WSH professional myself, I agreed that it is good news if we can help our company to get award and recognitions. But, is getting all this recognitions and awards our main goal? Then what is our value and standing as safety professional? Do not forget that our real goal and performance in our workplace is to ensure that all workers and employees return home safe and sound every day.
Our job is a noble job. We saves lives with our actions, our control measures. I believed one thing, how we as WSH professionals are judged will be based on our daily effort we put in our work, at the same time improving the communication and winning the hearts and minds of management, supervisors and workers in inculcation of safety. We must never be complacent. Effort must always be ongoing, just the same like risk assessment. Risk assessment is always an ongoing process. It is not a paper exercise. If all of us used this tool to it's full effectiveness, trust me, the workplace will be a better and safer environment to work for.
To end this note, if we are able to make the employees realize the importance and fundamentals of basic needs (safety, money, health and etc), this will be a major step towards critical thinking. Heading towards WSH Vision 2018 aside, we still have a lot more to do. We reap what we sow. Lets do our utmost best.
From, Eric
10.2.16