Where people get hurt

MOM's marine industry covers shipbuilding and ship repair, marine surveying and salvage, including work at the anchorage. Its 2025 national statistics record one death in marine, down from five in 2024. The fatal injury rate fell from 8.1 to 1.6 per 100,000 workers. The 2024 rate was the highest in MOM's industry table.

There were 12 major injuries in 2025. Slips, trips and falls led, followed by struck-by-moving-object incidents. Marine also had 59 cases of noise-induced hearing loss. Numbers swing a lot from year to year because the workforce is small. One bad fire or tank entry can change the picture.

The hazards to plan for

  • Fire and explosion during welding, cutting and grinding near fuel, oil residues, paint or gas.
  • Confined spaces: tanks, double bottoms, cofferdams and void spaces with bad air.
  • Falls through open hatches and manholes, and from staging, scaffolds and the ship's side.
  • Lifting: cranes moving blocks, plates and equipment over people.
  • Struck by moving objects: hoses, chains, winches and moving blocks.
  • Spray painting and abrasive blasting: solvents, dust and noise.
  • Heat inside hulls and tanks, and loud noise from chipping and grinding.

What the rules require in Singapore

Shipyards follow the general WSH Act duties and the WSH (Risk Management) Regulations. The WSH (Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing) Regulations 2008 add sector rules. MOM's course list links each training duty to a regulation.

  • Workers doing hazardous work in a shipyard, or on a ship in harbour, need Apply WSH in Shipyard (General Trade) (reg 6(2)).
  • Hot-work workers need the Shipyard Safety Instruction Course for the hot-work trade (regs 6(3) and 32). Spray painters need the painter trade course (reg 6(5)).
  • Supervisors need Supervise Marine Work for WSH (reg 6(7)).
  • A ship-repair manager coordinates all work on the ship and approves each job before it starts. That person needs the shipbuilding and ship repair management course (reg 7(2)).
  • Hot work runs under a permit-to-work system. A safety assessor appointed under reg 27(3) assesses the work area and must hold the hot-work certification course.
  • Shipyards that build, repair, refit or break up ships must appoint a WSH officer (MOM).
  • Shipyards with 200 or more employees need an external audit of their safety and health management system every 12 months. Smaller yards need a yearly internal review (MOM).
  • Confined space entry needs a permit, gas testing and an attendant under the WSH (Confined Spaces) Regulations 2009.
Work at height and heat

Shipyards must keep a fall prevention plan under the WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013. Work where a person could fall more than 3 metres needs a permit-to-work (MOM factsheet). Shipyards must also measure heat with an on-site WBGT meter (MOM).

Hot work and gas freeing

Most shipyard fires start with hot work near something that burns. Residues in tanks and pipes can give off vapour long after a space is emptied. The ILO code of practice for shipbuilding and ship repair is clear on this. No hot work or naked flame goes into a confined space until a competent person has tested it and found it safe.

Before any permit is signed, check these points at the work area, not in the office.

  • The space and the spaces next to it have been tested and certified gas free for hot work.
  • Combustible material is removed or covered on both sides of the bulkhead or deck.
  • A trained fire watch is posted with an extinguisher, and stays after the work ends.
  • Gas cylinders stay outside the confined space. Hoses come out at the end of each shift.
  • Tests are repeated after breaks and whenever conditions change.

Order of controls in ship work

Plan the work so fewer people enter tanks and work at height. Pre-fabricate and paint blocks in the shop where you can. Use mechanical ventilation and remote cleaning before entry.

Next, use engineering controls. Cover or guard hatches and manholes. Build proper staging with guard-rails. Provide local exhaust for welding fume. Then use permits, gas tests, attendants and exclusion zones under lifts. Breathing apparatus, harnesses and hearing protection are the last line.

Other controls that matter

  • One coordinator who knows every job on the ship that day, so hot work and painting never overlap.
  • Daily toolbox briefings in a language each crew understands.
  • Lifting plans and a lifting supervisor for every crane lift, as the cranes regulations require.
  • Spray painting inside tanks only with airline breathing apparatus and no other work in the space.
  • Earthing and bonding of spray equipment and the item being painted.
  • A rescue plan for every confined space, with equipment at the entrance.

Common mistakes

  • Testing the tank but not the void or tank next to it before hot work.
  • Leaving gas hoses and torches inside a tank over a break or overnight.
  • Two contractors working in the same block without knowing the other is there.
  • Rescuers entering a tank without breathing apparatus after a worker collapses.
  • Removing a hatch cover and leaving the opening unguarded.
Empty is not gas free

A tank can be drained and still hold enough vapour to explode. Ballast tanks that only held water can still have bad air. Treat every space as dangerous until it is tested.

Related topics on this site

  • Marine and shipyards, Hot work and Confined spaces.
  • Working at height, Scaffolding and Falling objects.
  • Lifting and cranes and Permit to work.
  • Fire and emergency, Chemical safety and Noise.
  • Heat stress and Contractor management.

In other countries

  • Malaysia: Section 18A of Act 514 requires a principal to protect contractors, subcontractors and their employees who work under the principal's direction. 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. Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations, Singapore Statutes Online.
  3. Workplace Safety and Health (Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing) Regulations 2008, Singapore Statutes Online.
  4. List of Workplace Safety and Health courses (updated 18 March 2025), Ministry of Manpower.
  5. Factory notification or registration requirements, Ministry of Manpower.
  6. Requirements for a safety and health management system, Ministry of Manpower.
  7. Workplace Safety and Health (Confined Spaces) Regulations 2009, Singapore Statutes Online.
  8. Workplace Safety and Health (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013, Singapore Statutes Online.
  9. Factsheet on the WSH (Work at Heights) (Amendment) Regulations, Ministry of Manpower.
  10. Heat stress measures for outdoor work, Ministry of Manpower.
  11. Workplace Safety and Health (Operation of Cranes) Regulations 2011, Singapore Statutes Online.
  12. Safety and health in shipbuilding and ship repair: ILO code of practice (2019), International Labour Organization.
  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.