How to report a workplace accident in Singapore

What counts as reportable

MOM sets out the rules on its what and when to report page. Three kinds of event must be reported.

If you are still unsure after your own investigation, MOM says to report.

• Work accidents. An employee is hurt at work and gets outpatient or hospitalisation leave, is put on light duty, or dies.
• Occupational diseases. A worker is diagnosed with a disease listed under the WSH Act or the Work Injury Compensation Act. Noise-induced hearing loss and lead poisoning are on the WSH Act list.
• Dangerous occurrences. The events listed in the First Schedule of the WSH Act, whether or not anyone is hurt. They include a crane overturning, formwork collapsing and a scaffold over 15 metres collapsing.

Who reports

The duty depends on who the injured person is. MOM explains it on its who should report page.

Other people can also use the eService. MOM lists the injured employee, their family and their legal representative among those who can submit a report. That does not take the duty off the employer.

• The employer reports injuries, deaths and occupational diseases of its own employees.
• A subcontractor reports for the workers it hired. If the injured worker belongs to your subcontractor, tell them to file.
• The occupier reports dangerous occurrences. It also reports a self-employed person or member of the public who dies, or is sent to hospital, because of work at the site. For a registered factory, the occupier is the holder of the certificate.
• The treating doctor reports a WSH Act occupational disease separately, within 10 days of diagnosis.

How fast: two clocks

Some events need two steps. First a quick notice to the Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health. Then the full incident report.

Notify the Commissioner as soon as reasonably practicable when a worker dies, when a member of the public or a self-employed person dies or goes to hospital, and after any dangerous occurrence. If an injured employee later dies, notify the Commissioner immediately. See MOM: report a work-related accident.

• Fatal accident: iReport within 10 days of the accident.
• Non-fatal accident: iReport within 10 days of the employer's first notice of it.
• Occupational disease: iReport within 10 days of receiving the diagnosis.
• Dangerous occurrence: iReport within 10 days of the occurrence.

Which form or portal

The notice. Notify the Commissioner online through MOM. Give the date, time and place, the name and ID number of anyone hurt or killed, the employer and occupier, a short description, and your own name and contact details.

The report. File the iReport through the WSH Incident Reporting eService. You need details of your company, the accident and the injured person, including their injury and insurance. File it once. The same report covers the WSH Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act.

If the worker gets more medical leave later, update the online report. If you miss the deadline, file anyway and give the reason for the delay.

What to keep

Employers and occupiers must keep every incident report for 3 years. Save or print the report when you submit it. See MOM: report a work-related accident.

Keep the scene as it is after a death or a dangerous occurrence. Under section 25 of the WSH Act, nobody may move or change equipment that may have caused it without the Commissioner's consent. The occupier must stop others from doing so. Rescue work and work to keep people safe are allowed.

Keep your own file too. Photos, witness names, the permit, the risk assessment and the medical certificates all help MOM and your insurer.

Penalties for not reporting

An employer who does not report commits an offence. The fine is up to $10,000 for a first offence. For a second or later offence it is up to $20,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both. See MOM: what and when to report.

Disturbing the scene of a fatal accident or dangerous occurrence carries a fine of up to $10,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both, under section 25 of the WSH Act.

Do not press a doctor to give less medical leave. MOM says it may refer employers who do this to other authorities, including the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau. See MOM: who should report.

What happens next

MOM may investigate at the site. If an employee was hurt, MOM sends a copy of the report to your insurer. It also sends the worker a form to say whether they want to claim compensation. See MOM: report a work-related accident.

Filing a report is not an admission of liability. It is a legal duty. Run your own investigation alongside MOM's and fix the cause.

The first hour

Stick this sequence on the site office wall.

• Make the area safe. Stop the work and isolate power or machinery.
• Give first aid and call 995 for an ambulance if needed.
• Cordon off the scene. Leave equipment where it is unless moving it saves a life.
• Tell the site manager and the safety officer.
• If someone died, a member of the public went to hospital, or a listed dangerous occurrence happened, notify the Commissioner online.
• Write down witness names and numbers. Take photos and save any CCTV.
• Tell the injured worker's next of kin, or help them do it.
• Name the person who will file the iReport, and put the 10-day deadline in the calendar.

Sources

1. Work-related accidents: what and when to report, Ministry of Manpower.
2. Work-related accidents: who should report, Ministry of Manpower.
3. Report a work-related accident, Ministry of Manpower.
4. Work accident reporting eServices and forms, Ministry of Manpower.
5. Who can submit an incident report?, Ministry of Manpower.
6. Reporting under both WICA and the WSH Act, Ministry of Manpower.
7. Workplace Safety and Health Act 2006 (ss.25, 27 and First Schedule), Singapore Statutes Online.

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.