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The construction sector accounted for seven fatalities. This is up from five deaths in the first half of 2024 and down from 15 in the second half of that year.
SINGAPORE – Seventeen people died from injuries sustained at work in the first half of 2025, a slight decrease from 19 in the same period in 2024.
Like in 2024, vehicular incidents were the top cause of death. Nine people were killed in vehicular incidents in the first half of 2025, compared with 11 in the whole of 2024.
The other top causes of deaths were falls from height and being struck by moving objects, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Sept 30.
The construction and transportation and storage industries accounted for 65 per cent of workplace deaths in the first six months of 2025, according to mid-year workplace safety and health figures published by MOM.
The construction sector accounted for seven fatalities. This is up from five deaths in the first half of 2024 and down from 15 in the second half of that year.
Four deaths were reported in the transportation and storage industry in the first six months of 2025. There was one death recorded in the same period in 2024 and eight in the second half of that year.
The wholesale and retail trade sector registered two workplace deaths in the first half of 2025, up from one recorded in the whole of 2024.
Two deaths were recorded in the administrative and support services sector, which did not report any fatalities in 2024.
MOM said Singapore’s workplace fatality rate in the first half of 2025 was 0.92 death per 100,000 workers. This is down from one death per 100,000 workers in the same period in 2024 and 1.2 deaths per 100,000 workers in the second half of that year.
Singapore’s target is to keep the rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to window supplier Sapphire Windows in Loyang, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said on Sept 30 that while any workplace death is tragic, the country is “trending in the right direction” with fewer fatalities recorded.
“The best target... is really zero, and we try to aim (for) that as much as we can,” he added.
On improving Singapore’s workplace safety and health record, Mr Dinesh urged companies to create a culture of safety, where employers and employees look out for one another and make sure hazards are reported.
“That will be a game changer to reduce injuries and fatalities at worksites,” he said.
Mr Dinesh noted that more can be done to reduce vehicular incidents.
“This is (an) area we are concerned about,” he said, adding that MOM will continue to focus on ways to keep workers safe while being transported and when they are around vehicles at worksites.
Major injury rate at all-time low
Some 286 major injuries were recorded in the first half of 2025, down from 304 in the same period in 2024. Major injuries are severe non-fatal injuries, including amputations, blindness and paralysis.
The major injury rate fell to an all-time low of 15.5 injuries per 100,000 workers, MOM said, continuing the downward trend observed in recent years.
The top three causes of such injuries were slips, trips and falls (39 per cent); falls from height (12 per cent); and machinery incidents (10 per cent). These accounted for 61 per cent of all major injuries reported in the first half of the year.
The construction and manufacturing industries were major contributors, accounting for 124 – or 43 per cent – of the major injuries reported.
But both sectors saw improvements over the same period in 2024, MOM noted.
For example, the manufacturing sector accounted for 55 major injuries and no deaths in the first half of 2025, compared with 63 major injuries and two deaths in the first half of 2024.
Within manufacturing, fatal and major injuries from metalworking – the process of shaping items out of metal – dropped from 24 to 17 between the first half of 2024 and the same period in 2025.
MOM said the implementation of the demerit point system in 2023, and additional safety requirements introduced in January 2025 to protect workers handling higher-risk machinery and combustible dust, drove the drop.
The situation in the construction industry also improved, particularly for larger-scale work and at construction worksites.
Fatal and major injuries declined from 81 to 76 between the first half of 2024 and the same period in 2025.
MOM attributed the improvements in part to its call for a voluntary safety timeout in November 2024 , after 10 construction workers died on the job from July to October that year, compared with five in the first six months of 2024.
Mr Melvin Yong, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, raised two areas of concern. The Radin Mas MP said incidents in the transport sector remained high, and that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction sector are experiencing too many accidents.
To improve safety in the transport sector, he urged better fatigue management, safe driving practices and better vehicle maintenance. As for SMEs in construction, they need safety training, clearer supervision and practical tools to build a culture of safety, he said.
Minor injuries and dangerous occurrences
In the first six months of 2025, 10,112 minor injuries – non-severe injuries with any instance of medical leave or light duties – were recorded.
This is 3 per cent lower than the 10,446 cases reported in the first half of 2024.
About half of the minor injuries reported were the result of slips, trips and falls, machinery incidents and being struck by moving objects.
Health and social services, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services accounted for 48 per cent of minor injuries.
MOM said 14 dangerous occurrences – incidents that could cause serious damage, death or injury – were reported in the first half of 2025, a touch lower than the 13 reported in the same period in 2024.
At nine cases, the most common dangerous occurrence reported was fires and explosions, due to explosive or flammable materials used in the construction and manufacturing industries. There were also five cases of collapse or breakdown of structures or equipment.
List of occupational diseases to be updated
As for occupational diseases, there were 465 cases between January and June, MOM said, slightly lower than the 468 cases in the same period in 2024, but higher than the 431 in the second half of that year.
Sixty per cent were noise-induced deafness, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26 per cent) and occupational skin diseases (10 per cent).
MOM said these numbers remained high owing to an enhanced workplace health surveillance programme, which has raised awareness among doctors and employers about the reporting of such diseases.
The ministry said on Sept 30 that it plans to update the list of occupational diseases under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act from Dec 1, 2025.
At present, there are 35 occupational diseases listed under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and 37 under the Work Injury Compensation A ct.
The new list will recognise a total of 38 diseases aligned across both Acts. The changes include expanded coverage for all work-related musculoskeletal disorders beyond upper limbs, MOM said.
There will also be broader recognition of occupational infectious diseases in laboratory, research facility and healthcare services to strengthen protection for workers in high-risk settings, the ministry added.
MOM carried out more than 3,000 inspections across various industries in the first half of 2025. These included inspections targeting vehicular safety, prevention of slips, trips and falls, machinery safety and working safely at height.
Nearly 7,000 breaches were detected, with errant companies receiving more than $1.5 million in composition fines. Twenty-eight stop-work orders were issued.
[SRC] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/17-workplace-deaths-in-first-half-of-2025-vehicular-incidents-remain-top-cause
