Where people get hurt

Healthcare is not often seen as dangerous work. The numbers say otherwise. In MOM's 2025 national statistics, health and social services had a total injury rate of 1,896 per 100,000 workers under the wider reporting series. That was the highest of any industry listed, and three times the national rate of 608.

Slips, trips and falls were the top cause of major injuries in the sector. They also led the minor injuries, followed by over-exertion and being struck by moving objects. Health and social services also had 190 occupational disease cases in 2025. They included 100 work-related musculoskeletal disorders, more than double the count in manufacturing.

The hazards to plan for

The WSH Council healthcare guidelines group the hazards into four kinds.

  • Physical: patient lifting and transfers, slips on wet floors, sharps, noise, and radiation from imaging.
  • Biological: bloodborne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, and airborne infections.
  • Chemical: disinfectants, sterilising agents, anaesthetic gases and hazardous drugs such as cytotoxics.
  • Psychosocial: shift work, long hours, harassment and violence from patients or the public.

What the rules require in Singapore

The healthcare guidelines state plainly that the WSH Act covers all workplaces, including healthcare facilities. Employers must take reasonably practicable steps to protect staff and anyone else affected by the work (MOM).

  • Risk assessment: the WSH (Risk Management) Regulations require a risk assessment before work starts, with controls in place and staff told the risks.
  • Reporting: work injuries with medical leave or light duty, and occupational diseases, are reportable to MOM (MOM).
  • Upper limb disorders: a work-related musculoskeletal disorder of the upper limb is a reportable occupational disease. The employer sends the doctor's diagnosis to MOM within 10 days (WSH Council ergonomics guidelines).
  • Radiation: the Radiation Protection Act, run by NEA, controls radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus such as X-ray machines, as the healthcare guidelines note.
  • Compensation: the Work Injury Compensation Act covers staff injured or made ill at work.
Hospitals and the First-Aid Regulations

The WSH (First-Aid) Regulations do not apply to hospitals and medical clinics. That does not remove the employer's general duty to plan for emergencies involving staff.

Patient handling

Lifting patients by hand injures nurses and carers more than any other task. Reaching across beds, twisting, and trying to catch a falling patient all overload the back.

Work down the order of controls. Fit ceiling or mobile hoists for patients who cannot bear weight. Use slide sheets, transfer boards and transfer belts. Keep wheelchairs and trolleys in good repair. Plan staffing so nobody has to lift alone. Assess each patient's mobility and record the method on the care plan. Train staff on the equipment, not just on lifting technique. Limit the number of lifts per person per shift.

Sharps and infection

Needlestick injuries can pass on bloodborne viruses. The guidelines put elimination first.

  • Avoid needles where another route works, such as oral medication or needle-free IV systems.
  • Use safety-engineered needles, blunt-tipped suture needles and blunt-ended scissors.
  • Place puncture-resistant sharps containers where the procedure happens.
  • Never recap or bend a used needle.
  • Cover cuts with waterproof dressings and wear suitable gloves.
  • Offer hepatitis B vaccination, and report and follow up every exposure.

Violence, harassment and long hours

Abuse and assault from patients and visitors are a recognised hazard. They are often under-reported. The healthcare guidelines call for a clear policy, protocols for at-risk situations, a risk assessment of each work area and training in conflict resolution.

Practical controls include physical security, alarms, staffing so nobody works alone, and shorter waiting times. Encourage every report and act on it. Shift work and overtime also cause fatigue, which leads to errors and injuries. Plan rosters with enough rest between shifts.

Common mistakes

  • Buying hoists and leaving them in a store room because staff lack time or training.
  • Treating back pain as part of the job, so injuries go unreported.
  • Sharps containers overfilled or placed far from the bedside.
  • Accepting verbal abuse as normal and logging only physical assaults.
  • Forgetting cleaners, porters and laundry staff, who face many of the same hazards.
Include support staff

Cleaners and waste handlers get needlestick injuries from sharps left in bins and linen. Brief them, give them gloves and tongs, and make sure clinical staff dispose of sharps properly.

Related topics on this site

  • Manual handling and Slips and trips.
  • Chemical safety, PPE and First aid.
  • Fatigue and Lone working.
  • Fire and emergency, and Incident investigation.
  • Risk assessment.

In other countries

  • Malaysia: Section 18B of Act 514 requires every employer to assess the safety and health risks of the work and put the needed controls in place. Section 30 requires a safety and health committee where 40 or more people work, or when the Director General directs.

Sources

  1. Workplace Safety and Health Report 2025: National Statistics, Ministry of Manpower.
  2. WSH Guidelines on Healthcare (second revision, 2023), WSH Council.
  3. WSH Act: responsibilities of stakeholders, Ministry of Manpower.
  4. Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations, Singapore Statutes Online.
  5. Work accident reporting: what and when to report, Ministry of Manpower.
  6. WSH Guidelines on Improving Ergonomics in the Workplace, WSH Council.
  7. Workplace Safety and Health (First-Aid) Regulations, Singapore Statutes (NUS mirror).
  8. 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.