SINGAPORE, Sept 30 — Workplace fatalities in Singapore dropped slightly in the first half of 2025, with 17 deaths reported, compared with 19 in the same period last year, The Straits Times (ST) reported, citing the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Vehicular incidents remained the leading cause of workplace deaths, accounting for nine of the fatalities, while falls from height and being struck by moving objects were among other common causes, ST said.

The construction and transportation and storage sectors together made up 65 per cent of the workplace deaths recorded between January and June 2025. The construction industry accounted for seven fatalities, up from five in the same period of 2024, while the transportation and storage sector reported four deaths, compared with one in the first half of 2024.

Other sectors seeing workplace deaths included wholesale and retail trade with two fatalities, and administrative and support services, which also recorded two deaths, ST added.

Singapore’s workplace fatality rate for the first six months of 2025 stood at 0.92 deaths per 100,000 workers, down from one per 100,000 in the same period last year.

MOM has set a target to keep the rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028, according to ST.

ST reported that major injuries — severe non-fatal injuries including amputations, blindness, and paralysis — fell to 286 cases in the first half of 2025, down from 304 in the same period of 2024.

The major injury rate declined to an all-time low of 15.5 injuries per 100,000 workers, continuing a downward trend observed in recent years. 

The top causes were slips, trips and falls (39 per cent), falls from height (12 per cent), and machinery incidents (10 per cent), accounting for 61 per cent of major injuries.

Construction and manufacturing sectors accounted for 124 major injuries, or 43 per cent of the total. However, both industries showed improvements compared with the same period last year, according to MOM.

In the manufacturing sector, 55 major injuries were reported in the first half of 2025, with no fatalities, compared with 63 injuries and two deaths in the first half of 2024.

MOM attributed the improvements to measures such as the demerit point system introduced in 2023 and enhanced safety requirements for handling high-risk machinery and combustible dust, implemented in January 2025.

The construction industry also recorded fewer combined fatal and major injuries, declining from 81 in the first half of 2024 to 76 in the same period this year. ST said MOM cited voluntary safety timeouts introduced in November 2024 following a series of workplace deaths as a contributing factor.

According to the report minor injuries — those requiring medical leave or light duties — totalled 10,112 cases, a 3 per cent decline from 10,446 in the first half of 2024. Around half were caused by slips, trips and falls, machinery incidents, and being struck by moving objects.

The ministry also recorded 14 dangerous occurrences, slightly lower than 13 in the same period last year. Fires and explosions were the most common, with nine incidents mainly linked to flammable materials used in construction and manufacturing. There were also five cases of structural or equipment collapse.

Occupational diseases remained a concern, with 465 cases reported, slightly lower than 468 in the first half of 2024. Noise-induced deafness made up 60 per cent of cases, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26 per cent) and occupational skin diseases (10 per cent), according to ST.

ST reported that MOM plans to update the list of recognised occupational diseases under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and Work Injury Compensation Act from Dec 1, 2025, expanding coverage for musculoskeletal disorders and occupational infectious diseases.

MOM carried out over 3,000 inspections in the first half of 2025 across various industries, detecting nearly 7,000 breaches. Companies received more than S$1.5 million in composition fines, and 28 stop-work orders were issued, ST said.