SINGAPORE - There was a spike in workers developing occupational diseases in 2022, including 624 cases involving noise-induced deafness.

Figures released on Tuesday show that there were 1,052 cases of workers developing certain ailments in the course of their work, a 60 per cent increase over the 659 cases seen the previous year.

There were 494 occupational disease cases in 2020 and 517 in 2019, according to the workplace safety and health report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

MOM said occupational diseases are harder to detect. Unlike injuries arising from accidents, most occupational diseases only develop after prolonged periods of exposure.

Following noise-induced deafness, the second most common health condition involved work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which include back injury due to ergonomic risks. A total of 340 cases were reported in 2022.

Occupational skin diseases were the third highest, with 63 cases.

The ministry said the spike in occupational disease cases was due to ongoing enhanced workplace health surveillance efforts (WHS+) and increased awareness in reporting among doctors and employers.

Companies that have workers who may be exposed to toxic substances or noise are required to adopt risk controls, and introduce programmes aimed at managing hazardous substances and conserving hearing, MOM said.

“Companies also need to undergo third party audits to ensure their workplace health programmes are effective, and submit an audit report to MOM.

“MOM will continue to increase the number of workplaces under WHS+, as well as collaborate with the WSH Council to increase awareness and implementation of workplace health programmes,” the ministry said.

Mr Han Wenqi, a registered WSH officer, said work-induced health disorders need some attention.

“In terms of workplace safety and health, there has been a lot of focus on the safety aspect due to the number of injuries and fatalities recently, but there should also be an emphasis on the health aspect as well,” he added.

Mr Han said he has worked with several companies to implement a hearing conservation programme in line with MOM regulations.

Under the programme, the workers undergo a hearing examination at least once a year. Those who use loud equipment or work in areas with loud noises, like near the airport for example, have to use equipment like ear plugs.

The MOM report showed that the manufacturing sector saw the highest number of confirmed occupational disease cases. There were 506 cases in the sector, followed by construction with 94 cases, and health and social services with 78 confirmed cases.

The report on Tuesdayalso showed that the number of workplace fatalities in 2022 could have been even higher than the 46 deaths recorded that year.

There were 27 reports of dangerous incidents that could have resulted in serious or fatal injuries, the highest number seen in the last five years.

The previous high was recorded in 2017, when 35 dangerous occurrences were reported.

To mitigate the spate of workplace fatalities in 2022, MOM had in September implemented heightened safety period measures.

On Tuesday, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said the measures have worked well to arrest the spate of workplace fatalities, with the construction sector showing improvements in reducing workplace accidents.

“However, the incidence of major injuries did not improve in some sectors such as manufacturing,” he added.

The report showed that among the cases of dangerous occurrences in 2022, 20 involved the collapse or failure of structures and equipment, and seven involved fires and explosions.

MOM said the increase in reports of dangerous occurrences in 2022 was due to a rise in crane-related incidents.

To mitigate this, the ministry announced a new $4 million grant in January 2023 to co-fund the installation of stability control systems on lorry cranes.

“Additionally, MOM is reviewing additional measures that would enhance crane operators’ competency, and increase deterrence of unsafe crane-related operations.”

The report showed that in 2022, there were 1.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

Fifteen of the 46 workplace fatalities seen in 2022 were vehicular incidents – the top cause of workplace fatalities for the second year running.

Seven of these were work-related traffic accidents, which are unintended events that cause injury to a vocational driver or rider while he is driving on public roads in the course of work.

Eight of the fatalities in 2022 were falls from height, and six were the result of the collapse and failure of structures and equipment. Six others involved crane-related incidents.

MOM said: “Fatalities in 2022 have been a major concern, and we did not meet our workplace safety and health target of 1.1 per 100,000 workers.

“The spate of workplace fatal injuries was largely due to basic safety lapses, such as inadequate safety planning and control measures, and non-compliance with safety measures.”

MOM noted that by August 2022, Singapore had seen a total of 36 workplace fatal injuries. In comparison, there were 37 workplace fatalities seen in the whole of 2021.

On Sept 1, 2022, MOM introduced the heightened safety period for six months, which saw the number of workplace fatalities fall from 4.5 per month between January and August that year, to 2.5 per month between September and December.

Following a number of deaths in 2023, the safety period – initially due to end on Feb 28 – was extended to May 31, 2023, with additional measures in place.

On Tuesday, Mr Zaqy called on all employers and workers to remain vigilant, adding: “Only with our collective resolve can we get back on track to achieving our WSH 2028 goal of keeping our fatality rate at below 1.0 per 100,000 workers.”