Where people get hurt

Construction is still Singapore's most dangerous sector. MOM's 2025 national statistics count 13 construction deaths, down from 20 in 2024. The fatal injury rate fell from 3.7 to 2.3 per 100,000 workers. Four deaths were falls from height. Four were vehicle incidents. Two were collapses of structures or equipment.

Falls from height also led the serious injuries, with 43 of the sector's 148 fatal and major injuries. Slips, trips and falls on the level and vehicle incidents came next.

Size does not protect you. Smaller works, such as addition and alteration jobs and renovation, made up 64% of the sector's fatal and major injuries in 2025. These jobs often have thin supervision, short programmes and no full-time safety staff.

The hazards to plan for

Most serious harm on a site comes from a short list of activities. Each one needs its own risk assessment and method before work starts.

  • Work at height: open edges, floor openings, roofs, ladders, scaffolds and MEWPs.
  • Vehicles and mobile plant: reversing lorries, excavators and forklifts near people on foot.
  • Lifting: crane lifts, rigging failures and loads swinging over workers.
  • Collapse: formwork, temporary structures, excavations and partly demolished buildings.
  • Falling objects: tools and materials dropped from upper floors and scaffolds.
  • Electricity, hot work and confined spaces such as manholes and tanks.
  • Heat, noise and silica dust, which harm health slowly.

What the rules require in Singapore

The WSH Act gives duties to occupiers, employers and principals. MOM's guidance explains who holds which duty. The WSH (Risk Management) Regulations require a risk assessment before work starts, with controls in place and workers told the risks. The WSH (Construction) Regulations 2007 add worksite rules, including permits-to-work for high-risk jobs.

These sector rules are the ones supervisors meet most often.

  • Training: an employee doing manual work on a building or engineering construction worksite must complete Apply Workplace Safety and Health in Construction Sites (formerly CSOC). Supervisors need Supervise Construction Work for WSH. A project manager on a site of $10 million or more needs Manage WSH in Construction Sites (MOM course list).
  • WSH officer: required where building or engineering construction work with a contract sum of $10 million or more is carried out (MOM).
  • Safety and health management system: sites of $30 million or more need an external audit every 6 months. Smaller sites need an internal review every 6 months (MOM).
  • Video surveillance: since 1 June 2024, sites with a contract sum of $5 million or more must install cameras where high-risk work is done (MOM).
  • Design for Safety: the DfS Regulations cover developments under the Planning Act with a contract sum of $10 million or more (WSH Council DfS guidelines).
  • Work at height: a fall prevention plan is required at worksites, and guarding is required where a fall exceeds 2 metres (WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013).
  • Scaffolds of 4 metres and above need an approved scaffold contractor, and every scaffold needs a safe or unsafe tag at its access points (WSH (Scaffolds) Regulations 2011).
Fines went up in 2024

Since 1 June 2024, the top fine for a breach of WSH regulations is $50,000. It applies where the breach is a major cause of death, serious injury or a dangerous occurrence (MOM press release).

Order of controls on site

Start at the design stage. Ask the designer for fixed edge protection, parapets and anchor points. Plan lifts and deliveries so people and vehicles stay apart.

Then work down the order of controls. Remove the hazard where you can, for example by assembling at ground level. Fit collective protection such as guard-rails, covers, nets and barriers. Use permits, exclusion zones and traffic marshals to control who goes where. Personal fall arrest and other PPE come last.

The controls that matter most

  • Edges and openings: guard-rails or secured covers on every open edge and hole, checked each morning.
  • Scaffolds: erected by trained crews, inspected every 7 days and after bad weather, tagged before use.
  • Lifting: a lifting plan for every crane lift, an appointed lifting supervisor, and nobody under a suspended load.
  • Vehicles: one-way routes, banksmen for reversing, and pedestrian walkways separated by barriers.
  • Permits: no high-risk work without a valid permit posted at the work area.
  • Small jobs: the same controls apply to a one-week renovation as to a tower block.
Walk the job before the shift

Spend ten minutes on the deck before work starts. Look for missing guard-rails, moved covers and new openings. Overnight changes kill more people than the ones in the method statement.

Health hazards on site

Outdoor work in Singapore means heat. MOM's heat stress measures require an on-site WBGT meter at construction sites with a contract sum of $5 million or more. They also require hourly monitoring, rest under shade and water close to the work.

Cutting, drilling and grinding concrete releases silica dust. Use water suppression or on-tool extraction, then respiratory protection. Breakers, saws and piling rigs are loud. Use quieter methods, rotate jobs and issue hearing protection.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a small renovation job as low risk because it is short.
  • Removing a guard-rail or cover to bring in materials and not putting it back.
  • Letting a new worker start before the approved course, or without a site induction.
  • Reversing lorries with no banksman in a yard full of people on foot.
  • Issuing permits from the office without anyone checking the work area.
  • Letting the programme decide when the job is safe enough.
Subcontractors are your problem too

Most site workers are employed by subcontractors. If they work on your site, their safety is part of your plan. Check their training, brief them and supervise them.

Related topics on this site

For detail on each hazard, read these topics on this site.

  • Working at height, Scaffolding, Ladders, MEWPs and Roof work.
  • Lifting and cranes, Falling objects and Formwork.
  • Excavation, Demolition and Confined spaces.
  • Vehicles and danger zones, Hot work and Electrical safety.
  • Heat stress, Noise, and Silica and dust.
  • Permit to work, Risk assessment and Contractor management.

In other countries

  • Malaysia: Section 18A of Act 514 gives a principal a duty to protect contractors, subcontractors and their employees who work under the principal's direction. The measures include safe plant and systems of work, and enough time, budget and resources for safety in construction work. Section 18B requires every employer, self-employed person and principal to carry out a risk assessment and put the controls in place.

Sources

  1. Workplace Safety and Health Report 2025: National Statistics, Ministry of Manpower.
  2. WSH Act: responsibilities of stakeholders, Ministry of Manpower.
  3. Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations, Singapore Statutes Online.
  4. Workplace Safety and Health (Construction) Regulations 2007, Singapore Statutes Online.
  5. List of Workplace Safety and Health courses (updated 18 March 2025), Ministry of Manpower.
  6. Factory notification or registration requirements, Ministry of Manpower.
  7. Requirements for a safety and health management system, Ministry of Manpower.
  8. Entrenching WSH excellence with increase in maximum fines and mandatory video surveillance, Ministry of Manpower.
  9. WSH Guidelines on Design for Safety, WSH Council.
  10. Workplace Safety and Health (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013, Singapore Statutes Online.
  11. Workplace Safety and Health (Scaffolds) Regulations 2011, Singapore Statutes Online.
  12. Heat stress measures for outdoor work, Ministry of Manpower.
  13. Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), updated text to 1 June 2024, DOSH Malaysia.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.