Comprehensive Safety Management and Audit Report Analysis

This report, focusing on safety management and audit, addresses critical aspects of workplace safety, particularly within the Singapore construction industry. It begins by defining acceptable and tolerable levels of risk, emphasizing the importance of risk elimination, control, and avoidance. The report then delves into the increasing fatality trends in construction, attributing them to factors such as worker inexperience, systemic lapses in safety protocols, and lack of safety awareness. It proposes measures to mitigate these issues, including enhanced worker training, improved documentation of roles and responsibilities, regular safety inspections, and the implementation of hazard identification procedures. The report also examines the challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in complying with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act, citing resource constraints, lack of expertise, and high financial costs as key barriers. It suggests interventions such as subsidized training and linking licensing systems with safety management to improve SME compliance. Furthermore, the report outlines a sequence of actions for establishing effective performance indicators, including daily safety meetings, mandatory safety gear, and the introduction of reflective clothing and adequate lighting. It details control procedures to instill safety expectations, such as ongoing safety training, hazard documentation, and employee involvement in risk management planning. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of top management commitment, team creation, and the implementation of interventions like flexible working hours and improved ergonomics, along with continuous monitoring and review of implemented strategies. The report provides valuable insights into enhancing workplace safety and health in the construction sector.

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Safety Management and Audit
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Safety Management and Audit
Question 1: Safety Management System
a. Acceptable or tolerable level of risk
It is the level of hazard, loss or injury that is tolerable by the society or policymakers
based on cost-benefit analysis (Manuele, 2008). After risk elimination, control and avoidance
initiatives have been put in place the residual risk is defined as acceptable or tolerable.
b. Reasons for increasing fatality trend in the construction industry
Lack of experience and competence among the workers is one of the factors that are
increasing the cases of fatality. Most fatalities in the construction industry involve workers who
have experience of less than one year. Besides, workers who have experience of less than three
years in the Singapore construction industry have a higher risk of being involved in fatalities.
Systemic lapse is the second factor that is responsible for high fatalities in construction
workplaces. Evidence reveals that about 87 percent of companies fail to conduct adequate risk
management. Approximately 93 percent of the fatalities involve workers who embrace unsafe
behaviour due to lack of safety awareness (WSH, 2016).
c. Measures to arrest the rising trend
Lack of experience and competence among the workers
Documentation of roles, responsibilities and authorities (# 4.4.1) – Inexperienced workers
should be made aware of their duties to improve their competence. Clear documentation of the
responsibilities of the workers will prevent accidents.

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Improve workers competence through training (#4.4.2) – Workers who have inadequate
experience of working in the Singapore construction industry should be offered more training to
improve their competence.
Systemic lapse
Safety inspection (#9.2) – The plant should be inspected thoroughly to address systemic
lapses. This measure can be implemented by creating a safety inspection committee that would
inspect the plant regularly.
Implementing procedures for hazard identification (#4.3.1) – Systemic lapses can be
addressed by implementing straightforward procedures for hazard identification. This approach
of risk management will be helpful in preventing fatality among workers who adopt the unsafe
behaviour because of lack of safety awareness. Giving employees feedback about unsafe
behavior is effective (Lai et al., 2011).
Question 2: SMEs and SMS
a. SMEs in Singapore compliance with safety management system
Most of the SMEs fail to adhere to the WSH Act and its regulations. A study by WSH
Institute comprising of 123 SME business managers found that 1 in 3 business leaders was
incognizant of WSH risk (WSH Institute, 2014).
Reasons for non-compliance
 High resource constraints
 Lack of information and expertise in WSH Act
 High financial costs (Stephen et al., 2015).

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 Challenges to get workers to comply
 Management negligence
b. Variable program to assist SMEs in their compliance with WSH Act
Subsidizing WSH Act training – Lack of information has been identified as a barrier to
the implementation of the act. The cost of training, as well as compliance, is a fundamental
barrier. Subsidised training would be provided to qualified business leaders to enhance their
knowledge on WSH Act.
Linking licensing system with safety management – Some SMEs fail to implement safety
management due to negligence. Requiring SMEs to comply with WSH Act and its regulations
before applying for an operating license would prompt them to comply (Sunindijo, 2015).
Question 3: Performance Indicator
a. Sequence of actions to be in place
Daily safety meetings – workers would be briefed about the project progress, changes in
Jobsite and what kind of machinery and equipment will be used on that particular day. Safety
meetings are important in reducing fatalities (Ling et al., 2008).
Workers will be issued with safety gear – It will be mandatory for all employees to wear
safety gear while at the company to prevent unpredictable safety hazards.
The introduction of reflective clothing – employees, drivers and equipment operators will
be required to wear protective clothing to prevent possible accidents.
The introduction of adequate lighting at the facility.

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Placement of visible signage to warn employees of possible dangers.
Introduction of regular breaks to ensure all employees take breaks to reduce the risk of
accidents because of exhaustion
b. Control procedures to inculcate safety expectations
 Mandatory ongoing safety training for all workers
 New employees will be induced to safety objectives of the company
 Documentation of all unforeseen hazards within the company premises
 Involvement of employees in ongoing hazard identification
 Accepting inputs from employees when developing risk management plan
c. Process of re-conducting the risk assessment
Top management will exhibit a commitment to TWSH – The management will provide
the required resources including training and time.
Creation of a team – A team comprised of persons from different departments will be
formed. This team will then be integrated into the existing safety committee. The team will
collect data and identify employee needs.
Priorities and strategies – The identified issues will be ranked according to urgency. Old
age and disease will be prioritised because of their urgency. TWSH aims to manage occupational
safety, occupational health and wellness (Lee & Satku, 2015).
Implementation of interventions – The interventions that will be implemented includes
flexible working hours, matching of job demands with the health condition of employees,

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improving ergonomics in the jobsite and promotion of discussions and collaboration in the
workplace.
Monitoring and reviewing – The implemented strategies will be evaluated and reviewed
based on the changing needs of the employees.
d. Indicators that I will use to monitor the progress of CAPA
Employee engagement in safety – This indicator will help in predicting the level of
uptake
Near miss – It will help to determine the level of effectiveness of the initiatives
Participation in safety committees – Workers offer their feedback and input in safety
committees to improve efficiency of the initiatives
Audits – Helps to verify whether changes have been implemented
Trend analysis – Helps to verify if expected results have been achieved
Bibliography

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Lai, D.N.C., Lu, M. & Ling, F.Y.Y., 2011. A comparative study on adopting human resource
practices for safety management on construction projects in the United States and
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Ling, F.Y.Y., Kiu, M. & Woo, Y.C., 2008. Construction fatalities in Singapore. International
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Manuele, F.A., 2008. Advanced Safety Management Focusing on Z10 and Serious Injury
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Stephen, l., Olsen, K., S, l.I. & Hasle, P., 2015. Managing safety in small and medium
enterprises. Safety Science, 71, pp.189-96.
Sunindijo, R.Y., 2015. Improving Safety Among Small Organisations in the Construction
Industry: Key Barriers and Improvement Strategies. Procedia Engineering, 125, pp.109-
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WSH Institute, 2014. Study on challenges and motivations of SME business leaders in leading
workplace safety and health. [Online] Available at:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/~/media/mom/documents/speeches/2015/annex%20b-factsheet
%20on%20sme%20business%20leaders_050215.pdf?la=en [Accessed 21 Augustus
2017].
WSH, 2016. ADVANCING WORKPLACE SAFETY & HEALTH IN SINGAPORE FOR 2018
AND BEYOND. [Online] Available at:

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http://www.mom.gov.sg/~/media/mom/documents/press-releases/2016/0825-annex-a-
wsh-2018-plus.pdf [Accessed 21 Augustus 2017].